Music and Science

Music and Science provides an introduction and practical guidance for a scientific and systematic approach to music research. Students with a background in Humanities may find the field hard to tackle and this accessible guide will show them how to consider using an appropriate range of methods, and to introduce them to current standards of research practices including research ethics, open access, and using computational tools such as R for analysis. These research methods are used to identify the underlying patterns behind the data to better understand how music is constructed and how we are influenced by music. The book focusses on music perception and the experience of music that are approached through empirical experiments, and by analysing music that is carried out by computational tools spanning audio and score materials. The process of research, collaboration and publishing in this area of study is also explained and emphasis is given to transparent and replicable research principles. The book will be essential reading for students undertaking empirical projects, particularly in the area of music psychology but also in digital humanities and media studies.

“Empirical music research has quite a history, and it is a joy to see its history, accumulative knowledge and current tools assembled in one concise publication. The author is a true expert and an inspiring teacher, providing students with all the knowledge and tools they need to contribute to this exciting field, where there is still a lot to explore.”Henkjan Honing, Professor of Music Cognition, University of Amsterdam; author of Music Cognition: The Basics (Routledge, 2022)"Eerola’s Music and Science: Guide to Empirical Music Research offers an up-to-date and clearly organized introduction to the field. Balancing theoretical and practical approaches, it serves as an invaluable resource for any student or researcher getting started with empirical work on music."Elizabeth Margulis, Professor, Director, Music Cognition Lab, Princeton University

Tuomas Eerola is Professor of Music Cognition in the Department of Music, University of Durham