ABSTRACT
This chapter considers how listeners categorize pitches in perception, and encode pitch information in memory. Melodic contour refers to the shape of a melody line, in which successive pitches are rising, falling, or unchanging in pitch. The key of a melody refers to the specific musical scale on which the melody is based. Melodies that have a perceivable key are said to possess tonality. Different pitches have different roles when a melody implies a diatonic scale, with certain pitches being heard as more important or dominant over other pitches. Thus, a diatonic scale is hierarchical. Typically one hears a singer accompanied by several instruments, or an instrumental piece in which one instrument carries the melody and the rest accompany it. The visual perception of color, however, provides the best example of a multidimensional perceptual experience. Color is related to a single physical dimension: wavelength.
