국악음정의 범주적 지각 특성: 황종-중려 음정을 중심으로

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the categorical perception of the interval between Hwangjong and Jungryeo of Korean Traditional music through listening tests. The interval between Hwangjong and Jungryeo is the key interval in Korean traditional music. 328 subjects were assigned to four groups according to their degree of training in Korean traditional music: professional performers (members of "The Court Music Troupe" with 21 years of experience and "The Creative Music Troupe" with 10 years of experience), college students majoring in traditional music, high school students majoring in traditional music, and non-major traditional music enthusiasts. The interval between Hwangjong and Jungryeo, which has a theoretical interval value of 522 cents, was altered in 10 cent increments within a range of ±30 cents, and subjects were asked to distinguish the correct interval between Hwangjong and Jungryeo from the wrong. Dependent variables that affect the categorical perception of the interval included various pitch ranges (3 octaves), direction of the melody (ascending/descending), instrument timbre (sine tone, Daegum, Komun'go), and the subjects' degree of training. The result of the experiment was obtained through statistic procedures using SPSS 12.0. The result showed that timbre and direction of the melody did not influence the categorical perception of both the intervals. It also showed that the interval between Hwangjong and Jungryeo was perceived as a slightly smaller interval in size than its theoretical value of 522 cents. In addition, the categorical perception range of the interval between Hwangjong and Jungryeo was approximately 30 cents. This shows that Korean traditional musicians perceive the interval between Hwangjong and Jungryeo, the key interval in Korean traditional music, as a stable interval, and that its original interval size of 522 cents is being kept. The categorical perceptive characteristic of the interval differed according to the subjects' degree of training; "The Court Music Troupe" perceived the interval close to its theoretical value, while the high school students and "The Creative Music Troupe" perceived it as similar to the equal-tempered value (500 cents). The pitch range also influences the categorical perceptive characteristic; the interval perception was significantly less accurate in a high pitch range. A high degree of confusion was shown in determining the interval. It is hoped that this study will contribute in the investigation of pitch organization of Korean traditional music, which has not yet been completely clarified. This study is also meaningful as a groundwork in the psychological research on Korean traditional music involving Korean traditional musicians.