An improvisation on the Middle‐Eastern mijwiz; auditory roughness profiles and tension/release patterns

Within western musical tradition, auditory roughness constitutes one of the principle perceptual correlates of dissonance. A previous study [P. N. Vassilakis, Selected Reports in Ethnomusicology, Vol. 12 (in press)] addressed the musical significance of auditory roughness within western as well as three non‐western musical traditions. It introduced a new roughness estimation model that predicts successfully roughness ratings of synthesized complex diatonic dyads. For the present study, an application was created that uses the aforementioned model to estimate the roughness of natural signals with arbitrary spectra, as well as roughness profiles of short musical pieces. The application was used to examine if and how the pattern of tension and release within a stylized improvisation on the Middle Eastern mijwiz (double clarinet) relates to roughness changes. Tension/release patterns were indicated by the Lebanese improviser and expert mijwiz player (Dr. A. J. Racy) and were also obtained by both musicians an...