The aging musician: Evidence of a downward trend in song tempo as a function of artist age

Abstract

Correspondences between the timing of motor behavior and that of musical performance are well-established. Motor behavior, however, is known to degrade across the adult lifespan due to neurobiological decay. In particular, performance on speed-dependent motor tasks deteriorates, spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) slows, and upper motor rate limit falls. Here, we examine whether this slowdown in motor behavior impacts tempo of musical performance as a function of age. We analyzed 14,556 songs released between 1956 and 2020 by artists with careers spanning at least 20 years. Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs) and Linear Mixed Models (LMMs) were employed to assess the effects of age, operationalized by subtracting birth year from release year of each track, on musical tempo. Results revealed a slight tempo increase from early adulthood to age 30, followed by a marked, linear slowdown with age across the remainder of the lifespan. From artists thirties to their eighties, tempo decreased by almost 10 bpm, averaging around 2 bpm per decade. This decrease aligns with the slowing-with-age hypothesis and mirrors rates of decline observed in studies of spontaneous motor tempo (SMT) and gait speed. Our findings highlight a significant gap in understanding of creative performance across the lifespan, particularly the role of age as a mediating factor in musical tempo. Moreover, that a discernible decrease in tempo is apparent even in commercial recordings further emphasizes the inescapable connection between dynamics of motor behavior and timing of musical performance.