Dwi Atmoko Agung Nugroho and Thomas Dicky Hastjarjo
Background: A theoretical issue about the control factors of the subject response on musical timbre between acoustic factors (including attack-decay) and type of music (genre) still unclear. Objective: Examine the effects of bayan tabla timbre and its attack-decay changes on stimulus discrimination and perception of music emotion in a dangdut music fans group, neutral group, and haters group. Method: A randomized experiment between-within subjects design was used in the research method. Research conducted in an Experimental Psychology laboratory at Gadjah Mada University of Indonesia. The research was supported by the participation of undergraduate and graduate students from Social-Humanities and Veterinary Medicine Sciences at Gadjah Mada University. All subjects aged 17-32 years. A dangdut music fans group/KE (N=18), neutral group/KK1 (N=18), and haters group/ KK2 (N=18). Each subject in KE, KK1, KK2 receive a random series treatment of three music: M1 (a music which has natural bayan tabla timbre [in G#1 pitch and its tone's attack was 0.403 seconds per stroke]), M2 (a music without bayan tabla timbre as the control/placebo), and M3 (a music which has synthetic bayan tabla timbre [in G#1 pitch and its tone's attack was 0.085 seconds per stroke]). Main outcome measures. The subject response was measured by StimoV1.0 software which consists of stimulus discrimination scale (similarity scaling), emotional perception scale (semantic differential scale): strong-not strong, happy-not happy, fun-not fun, erotic-not erotic, and the reaction time measurement in seconds. Results and Conclusion: In general, the results shown that the effects of musical timbre on stimulus discrimination is more controlled by acoustic factors (including attack-decay) and is not controlled by preference factors to type of music (genre). But however, the effects of musical timbre on perception of music emotion can be controlled by preference factors to type of music (genre).