ABSTRACT
Much of the research in music psychology has assumed the conceptual framework of “common-practice” music: Western art music of the 18th and 19th centuries. The questions asked often pertain most directly to the common-practice style—for example, questions about the perception of major and minor keys, classical harmonic progressions, and classical formal conventions—and stimuli are often drawn from this repertoire, or designed to imitate it. But in modern Western society, classical music is a relatively small part of the experience of most listeners. (This is especially true for younger listeners—e.g. college students—who provide the subject population for many music psychology experiments.) While it is certainly valid to study the perception and cognition of common-practice music, it also makes sense to explore other styles with which modern listeners may have greater familiarity.
