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From: mgresham@dscatl.UUCP (Mark Gresham)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.digest
Subject: I got rhythm
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Date: 26 Sep 88 06:01:00 GMT
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From: dscatl!mgresham@gatech.edu (Mark Gresham)
Newsgroups: comp.ai.digest,rec.music.classical
Subject: I got rhythm
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Date: 19 Sep 88 01:18:45 GMT
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In a recent article  PGOETZ@LOYVAX.BITNET writes:

>Here's a question for anybody:  Why do we have rhythm?
>
>Picture yourself tapping your foot to the tune of the latest Top 40 trash hit.
>While you do this, your brain is busy processing sensory inputs, controlling
>the muscles in your foot, and thinking about whatever you think about when
>you listen to Top 40 music.
>[...text deleted...]
>It comes down to this:  Different actions require different processing
>overhead.  So why, no matter what we do, do we perceive time as a constant?

The fact is, we *don't*. (Take it from a musician!)  Generally
people have a quite erratic perception of time.
Th perception (the top 40 example) is one of constancy in
relationship to some other perceived event be believe to
be constant (or assume is so).  Hence, the "beats" in the
music (which we deem to be regular) are giving us fresh input
which we use to "correct" our foot tapping.

>Why do we, in fact, have rhythm?  Do we have an internal clock, or a
>"main loop" which takes a constant time to run?  Or do we have an inadequate
>view of consciousness when we see it as a program?
>
>Phil Goetz
>PGOETZ@LOYVAX.bitnet

Try this experiment.  Or several of you try it.
Take a stopwatch (digital is preferable because silent).
Don't look at it or any other clock, and don't count;
press the start button.
Then, when you think five minutes are up, stop it.
Look at the watch and see how you did.
I know of one percussionist who is said to be quite accurate.
If you are really concentrating on "the passage of time"
--genuinely trying to be aware of it--my guess is that
you'll start to sweat (or otherwise become uncomfortable)
after about 40 seconds or so.  It takes quite a bit of
discipline to empty your mind enough to successfully do
that.  Try it.  Invent other similar experiments.

Let me know what you discover.

--Mark Gresham

(please e-mail or post to rec.music.classical)

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Mark Gresham              Atlanta, GA, USA
UUCP:  ...!gatech!dscatl!mgresham
INTERNET: mgresham@dscatl.UUCP
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