World Applied Sciences Journal 25 (4): 592-599, 2013 ISSN 1818-4952 © IDOSI Publications, 2013 DOI: 10.5829/idosi.wasj.2013.25.04.1298 Corresponding Author: Loo Fung Chiat, Department of Music, Faculty of Human Ecology, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, 43400, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Tel: +6012-3635814. 592 The Perception of Musical Phrasing in Correlation to Movements in Sports Routines Loo Fung Chiat and Loo Fung Ying 1 2 Universiti Putra Malaysia 1 University of Malaya 2 Submitted: Aug 16, 2013; Accepted: Sep 23, 2013; Published: Oct 6, 2013 Abstract: Musical phrasing is an important element in generating expression, demonstrating the direction of music structure, giving a sense of melodic contour and so forth. Like other musical elements such as articulation, dynamics, harmony, meter, rhythm and tempo, musical phrasing also features greatly in the choreography of dance and of sports that involve a routine. As phrasing indicates the start and the end of a unit or sub-unit in a melodic structure, this indirectly correlates to a movement or series of movements in a routine or dance. This study looks into the perception of musical phrasing in movements in a Tai Chi routine from a musical perspective. A competition routine in which choreography and music were evaluated to have the most congruence was chosen. From the video recording, the initiation of musical phrases was recorded and compared with the phrasing of movements in the routine. While many musical elements are congruent with the movements, the result indicates that the Tai Chi practitioner’s perception of musical phrasing as applied to the choreography is rather different from the perception of a musician. Key words: Phrasing Congruence Music Sports routine Tai Chi Movement INTRODUCTION sense of the performance. Beyond dance, this could Research into the perception of phrasing amongst accompaniment to a choreographed routine. This paper musicians is not a new subject in the field of music analyses a Tai Chi competition routine to music selected psychology, performance, language, speech and so forth. by the athlete. A musician’s perception of the use of Both language and music share a basic property that music in this Tai Chi routine will be discussed. involves a hierarchical structure consisting of information at different levels, thus making both domains exemplars of Music and Sports: Research in music and sports is complex auditory information [1]. Similar to musical burgeoning and the two subjects have led to many phrasing, which is formed or shaped by other units such different studies. One significant study is how music as tempo, dynamics, melodic structure, etc., language in provides ergogenic effects to enhance the performance the context of speech is also organized and constructed of sport activities [2]. This concerns the psychological from small units, phonemes, into more complex units, aspects of how music affects stamina and emotion in words and thence into phrases and sentences. Another sportsmen, normally for sports involving repetitive domain that deals with phrasing is the movement actions or movements [3-6]. Musical style used in sports generated in dance choreography, which includes activities and preferences of music amongst athletes are steps, elements and routines. As music and dance are most commonly studied when relating music and sports. closely related, there is no doubt that both subjects This can be referred to Gfeller’s research (1988) on the influence each other and contribute structural variances. music preferences of young adults in aerobics [7] and For example, the structure in a musical phrase can affect McGuinness’s (2009) analysis on music genre in skating the movement in a choreography, thus the interaction competition [8]. From a more sociological perspective, in between the two subjects contributes to the logic and We are the Champions McLeod (2011) addressed the similarly apply in those sports which use music as