Deploying music characteristics for an affective music player

This paper describes work toward an affective music player (AMP), which is able to direct affect to a goal state by selecting music. Repeatedly, music has been shown to modulate affect; however, precise guidelines for the use of music characteristics in an AMP have not been defined. To explore these, we investigated the influence of music characteristics on 32 participants who listened to 16 songs, testing effects of tempo (slow/high), mode (minor/major), and percussiveness (low/high). Subjective measures of affect (i.e., arousal, tension, and positive and negative valence) and physiology (i.e., skin conductance level, skin conductance responses, and heart rate variability) were measured during listening. Results show main and interaction effects of music characteristics on both subjective affect and physiology, implying that the characteristics are mutually dependent in modulating affect. Based on these results, guidelines are presented for AMPs, which can effectively direct affect through music.