musicalityregular

Musicalityregular is a term used in music theory and computational musicology to describe the degree to which a piece or performance exhibits regular patterns across musical dimensions such as rhythm, melody, harmony, dynamics, and timbre. It is a coined, nonstandard concept that aims to capture the perceptual sense of musicality arising from systematic regularities rather than purely random or highly irregular structures.

The term is not part of a formal taxonomy and has appeared primarily in exploratory studies and discussions of algorithmic composition and performance analysis. It is used to distinguish regular, patterned organization from other aspects of musical expressiveness, and it is often employed as a heuristic in research examining how structure contributes to listener perception.

Measurement of musicalityregular typically involves a composite index built from several subcomponents: metrical regularity (tempo stability and consistent subdivision), pitch regularity (recurrent motifs and interval patterns), harmonic rhythm regularity (cadence spacing), dynamics regularity (predictable loudness changes), and timbral regularity (consistent articulation or color). Data sources may include MIDI, symbolic scores, or audio features extracted from recordings, with weights assigned according to the aims of a given study.

Limitations include subjectivity in how regularity is perceived, cultural and genre differences, and the risk that emphasizing regularity can reduce perceived expressiveness. As a concept, musicalityregular remains a heuristic tool rather than a universally standardized measurement, used to explore how regular patterns contribute to the sense of musicality in music analysis and composition. See also musicality, rhythm regularity, and pattern recognition in music.