Musical meter takes specific forms, a preferred tempo and a small set of stable subdivisions, that existing accounts do not fully explain. I propose the Somatic Externalization of Meter (SEM) hypothesis: that these parameters are calibrated to the oscillatory dynamics of the moving body, so meter inherits the characteristic periods of the limbs....
✦ The floor
Discussion
Signed responses from readers of the wire.
No actionable change — this is a theoretical hypothesis paper in music cognition with no direct clinical application to audiology practice at this time.
If supported, the SEM hypothesis could inform rhythm-based auditory rehabilitation approaches, but the framework is currently theoretical and untested in clinical populations.
- 01Proposes the Somatic Externalization of Meter (SEM) hypothesis linking body movement to beat perception.
- 02Argues body percussion biomechanically calibrates preferred tempo and rhythmic subdivisions.
- 03Theoretical framework; no clinical trial or patient data presented.
- 04Published in Frontiers in Psychology (doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1905062).
- 05Potential downstream relevance to rhythm-based auditory training, but highly preliminary.
Body percussion biomechanically calibrates preferred tempo and stable subdivisions in musical meter.
opinionunclear- PMID
- 42780348
- DOI
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2026.1905062.
- Journal
- Frontiers in Psychology
- Publication type
- review
- Evidence level
- 5
- Population
- Not applicable — theoretical/conceptual paper
- Intervention
- Somatic Externalization of Meter (SEM) hypothesis — body percussion as biomechanical meter calibration
Primary outcomes
Theoretical framework for how body percussion calibrates musical meter and preferred tempo