Development and validation of a Chinese music quality rating test

Objective: The present study aims to develop and validate a Chinese music quality rating test (MQRT). Design: In Experiment 1, 22 music pieces were initially selected and paired as a 'familiar music piece' and 'unfamiliar music piece' based on familiarities amongst the general public in the categories of classical music (6), Chinese folk music (8), and pop music (8). Following the selection criteria, one pair of music pieces from each music category was selected and used for the MQRT in Experiment 2. In Experiment 2, the MQRT was validated using these music pieces in the categories 'Pleasantness', 'Naturalness', 'Fullness', 'Roughness', and 'Sharpness'. Study sample: Seventy-two adult participants and 30 normal-hearing listeners were recruited in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Results: Significant differences between the familiar and unfamiliar music pieces were found in respect of pleasantness rating for folk and pop music pieces as well as in sharpness rating for pop music pieces. The comparison of music category effect on MQRT found significant differences in pleasantness, fullness, and sharpness ratings. Conclusion: The Chinese MQRT developed in the present study is an effective tool for assessing music quality.