Table 2.

Operational definitions of high and low level musical features investigated in the current study.

Music feature	Operational definition
High level factors
Motif changes	A theme/movement/motif of the leading melody changes from one part to another (e.g., from one motif to another/from first to second movement/from verse to bridge to chorus)
Instrumentation changes	the number and/or type of instruments played in one part is different compared to the part before
Low level factors
Loudness	Is loud, if the general sound of one part is louder compared to the part before
Pitch level	Is high, if the pitch level of the leading melody is higher compared to the part before
Pitch contour	Is strong, if there are more pitch changes in the leading melody of one part compared to the number of changes in the part before
Tempo	Is fast, if the perceived tempo of one part is faster compared to the part before
Texture	Is multi, if there are more musical moments in which a high number of tones are playing simultaneously in one part compared to the part before
Sharpness	Is sharp, if there are more single differences in loudness and timbre from the different instruments or tones in one part compared to the part before