The Limits of Experimentation: On Researching Music and Musical Settings

In recent years the maintaining of music psychology as a strictly experimental discipline has run into difficulties. Although the need for breaking new grounds has been observed by several eminent researchers, few suggestions on how to proceed have actually been made. On the basis of the current debate within the social sciences, and our own experience of field research amongst performing musicians, this article will make some proposals to this effect. We argue the significance of investigating the "real world" of music in the field, discuss potential obstacles which need to be overcome, and propose a strategy which may facilitate field work specifically amongst musicians. Our intention is also to provide an aid to the traditional experimenter with a limited experience of research outside the laboratory, as well as to furnish prospective field workers into music with appropriate literature for further study.