Impression of smoothness of a sound stream in relation to legato in musical performance

Physically continuous sounds do not always produce the subjective impression of legato. In the present study, the effect of temporal factors on the impression of smoothness of a sound stream was systematically investigated in relation to the dynamic characteristics of hearing. The results showed that decaying sounds, successively presented, were perceived as being marginally connected when the sounds physically overlapped, while steady-state sounds were perceived as being marginally connected when they were physically separated. It was also shown that judgments by the subjects agreed quite well with the effect intended by the pianist when the passage was given in different temporal interpretations.