Sound power and timbre as cues for the dynamic strength of orchestral instruments

In a series of measurements, the sound power of 40 musical instruments, including all standard modern orchestral instruments, as well as some of their historic precursors from the classical and the baroque epoch, was determined using the enveloping surface method with a 32-channel spherical microphone array according to ISO 3745. Single notes were recorded at the extremes of the dynamic range (pp and ff) over the entire pitch range. In a subsequent audio content analysis, audio features were determined for all 3482 single notes using the timbre toolbox. In order to analyze the relative contributions of timbre- and amplitude-related properties to the expression of musical dynamics in different instruments, Bayesian linear discriminant analysis and generalized linear mixed modelling were employed to determine those audio features discriminating best between extremes of dynamics both within and across instruments. The results from these measurements and statistical analyses thus deliver a comprehensive picture of the acoustical manifestation of “musical dynamics” with respect to sound power and timbre for all standard orchestral instruments.DFG, 174776315, FOR 1557: Simulation and Evaluation of Acoustical Environments (SEACEN

Register Classification by Timbre

The aim of this analysis is the demonstration that the high and the low musical register (Soprano, Alto vs. Tenor, Bass) can be identified by timbre, i.e. after pitch information is eliminated from the spectrum. This is achieved by means of pitch free characteristics of spectral densities of voices and instruments, namely by means of masses and widths of peaks of the first 13 partials (cp. Weihs and Ligges (2003b)). Different analyses based on the tones in the classical song ?Tochter Zion? composed by G.F. Händel are presented. Results are very promising. E.g., if the characteristics are averaged over all tones, then female and male singers can be easily distinguished without any error (prediction error of 0%)! Moreover, stepwise linear discriminant analysis can be used to separate even the females together with 28 high instruments (?playing? the Alto version of the song) from the males together with 20 low instruments (playing the Bass version) with a prediction error of 4%. Also, individual tones are analysed, and the statistical results are discussed and interpreted from acoustics point of view. --

A Corpus-based Study Of Rhythm Patterns

We present a corpus-based study of musical rhythm, based on a collection of 4.8 million bar-length drum patterns extracted from 48,176 pieces of symbolic music. Approaches to the analysis of rhythm in music information retrieval to date have focussed on low-level features for retrieval or on the detection of tempo, beats and drums in audio recordings. Musicological approaches are usually concerned with the description or implementation of manmade music theories. In this paper, we present a quantitative bottom-up approach to the study of rhythm that relies upon well-understood statistical methods from natural language processing. We adapt these methods to our corpus of music, based on the realisation that—unlike words—barlength drum patterns can be systematically decomposed into sub-patterns both in time and by instrument. We show that, in some respects, our rhythm corpus behaves like natural language corpora, particularly in the sparsity of vocabulary. The same methods that detect word collocations allow us to quantify and rank idiomatic combinations of drum patterns. In other respects, our corpus has properties absent from language corpora, in particular, the high amount of repetition and strong mutual information rates between drum instruments. Our findings may be of direct interest to musicians and musicologists, and can inform the design of ground truth corpora and computational models of musical rhythm. 1

Register Classification by Timbre

The aim of this analysis is the demonstration that the high and the low musical register (Soprano, Alto vs. Tenor, Bass) can be identified by timbre, i.e. after pitch information is eliminated from the spectrum. This is achieved by means of pitch free characteristics of spectral densities of voices and instruments, namely by means of masses and widths of peaks of the first 13 partials (cp. Weihs and Ligges (2003b)). Different analyses based on the tones in the classical song "Tochter Zion" composed by G.F. Händel are presented. Results are very promising. E.g., if the characteristics are averaged over all tones, then female and male singers can be easily distinguished without any error (prediction error of 0%)! Moreover, stepwise linear discriminant analysis can be used to separate even the females together with 28 high instruments ("playing" the Alto version of the song) from the males together with 20 low instruments (playing the Bass version) with a prediction error of 4%. Also, individual tones are analysed, and the statistical results are discussed and interpreted from acoustics point of view

An HMM-Based Framework for Supporting Accurate Classification of Music Datasets

open3In this paper, we use Hidden Markov Models (HMM) and Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coecients (MFCC) to build statistical models of classical music composers directly from the music datasets. Several musical pieces are divided by instruments (String, Piano, Chorus, Orchestra), and, for each instrument, statistical models of the composers are computed.We selected 19 dierent composers spanning four centuries by using a total number of 400 musical pieces. Each musical piece is classied as belonging to a composer if the corresponding HMM gives the highest likelihood for that piece. We show that the so-developed models can be used to obtain useful information on the correlation between the composers. Moreover, by using the maximum likelihood approach, we also classied the instrumentation used by the same composer. Besides as an analysis tool, the described approach has been used as a classier. This overall originates an HMM-based framework for supporting accurate classication of music datasets. On a dataset of String Quartet movements, we obtained an average composer classication accuracy of more than 96%. As regards instrumentation classication, we obtained an average classication of slightly less than 100% for Piano, Orchestra and String Quartet. In this paper, the most signicant results coming from our experimental assessment and analysis are reported and discussed in detail.openCuzzocrea, Alfredo; Mumolo, Enzo; Vercelli, GianniCuzzocrea, Alfredo; Mumolo, Enzo; Vercelli, Giann

Karakteristik Angklung Berbahan Bambu Apus (Gigantochloa Apus)

Indonesian region has the potential widespread bamboo. One is the use of bamboo as a traditional musical instrument angklung. Angklung is a musical instrument typical of the region of West Java that has been recognized by UNESCO as world cultural heritage. Angklung is made with bamboo manifold choice of black bamboo, or bamboo lear. Angklung consists of 2-4 pieces of bamboo tubes with specified size and assembled into a unified and tied with rattan. Angklung of each species of bamboo have a sound character of each. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of angklung bamboo lear in generating tones and knowing the difference angklung bamboo smear Ciawi and Tasikmalaya. The method used in this study is a qualitative method to test the angklung tone and measure the resulting geometry angklung. Measurement results were processed using ANOVA statistical analysis with a confidence level of 95%. Results of the study showed that the angklung bamboo lear able to produce a tone quality approaching International standard tone frequencies as musical instruments

Dendroarchaeology applied to the Portuguese cultural heritage between the XV and XIX enturies: paintings and musical instruments as witnesses of artwork and wood trades between Portugal and Europe

Doutoramento em Engenharia Florestal e dos Recursos Naturais / Instituto Superior de Agronomia. Universidade de LisboaThe current study focuses on the dendrochronological dating of seventy Portuguese and foreign artworks from the XV to the XIX centuries from public and private collections. Among the artworks examined are a collection of 34 Portuguese and Flemish paintings, as well as 36 musical instruments of Portuguese and foreign construction. The study investigates the wood's provenance within the historical context of Portuguese maritime commerce with Europe. This research aims to develop a reference chronology, which will be useful for future dendrochronological studies, with a focus on artworks on Baltic oak wood support. The adopted methodology took into consideration the impossibility of obtaining samples from artworks and musical instruments, as well as the restrictions to their handling. Therefore, the dendrochronological analysis was based on direct observation using photographic and video material adapted to the size and shape of each piece, followed by statistical processing by ARSTAN, COFECHA, TRiCYCLE, and TSAPWIN software. The dating of each piece and the study of the dendroprovenance used public and restricted access reference chronology databases. The results obtained from the study of the support of Portuguese and Flemish paintings reinforce their chronological attributions and confirm the use of Baltic oak. The dendrochronological data obtained from these pieces, in conjunction with data provided by the IJF-DGPC and research projects conducted by the CEF-ISA, enabled the construction of a reference chronology spanning between the years 1149 to 1599. The pioneering dendrochronological study on Portuguese violins, cellos, and pianofortes from the XVIII and XIX centuries corroborates the historical dates inscribed on the respective musical instruments. It also revealed that the Portuguese workshops used woods from the Alpine region of Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy, which is consistent with the several historical sources on the Portuguese maritime trade with Europe. In conclusion, dendrochronology based on artworks enabled the construction of historical knowledge, as well as the interpretation of paintings and musical instruments as evidence of goods traded between Portugal and Europe between the XV and XIX centuries.N/

Examining the mismatch between the training and assessment of band and orchestra conductors in Michigan.

The dissertation builds on the research literature studying conductor training and the musical attributes requisite for adequate conducting skill and musical performance. The study also provides evidence that effective tools for evaluation of band and orchestra conductors are prevalent throughout the music education literature. Public school administrators, however, are generally unaware of that literature and often lack adequate assessment instruments to measure conductor effectiveness in rehearsal settings. Conductors have been teaching in the public schools for almost a century, however, many still undergo assessment procedures as if they were in an academic classroom. The study was assisted by the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) who provided a clean set of respondents representing middle school and high school conductors from the State of Michigan. Three research questions framed the study. The first research question identified to what extent the conductors\u27 formal training matched up with the musical attributes requisite for adequate conducting skill and musical performance. The literature review provided the context for a comparison of these training attributes based on the frequency of those attributes found in the research studies. The survey results from the study respondents provided a compilation of the means and standard deviations of the conductors\u27 formal training as compared with the musical attributes requisite to adequate conducting skill and musical performance. The second research question investigated whether the conductors perceived that their review process evaluated these same musical attributes. The researcher used a Pearson-Product Moment correlation analysis to compare the means of those musical skills received in their studies with the assessment criteria used by administrators. This method measured the strength of the relationship between the training and the assessment instruments used by administrators in the public schools. For the third research question, the study determined to what extent the review process contributed to their job satisfaction. The researcher used a regression analysis to compare overall job satisfaction with the evaluative process and with specific variables that correlated to job satisfaction or dissatisfaction. A regression analysis instrument measured the difference for each factor to determine the statistical association that assessment variables had with job satisfaction. The final chapter summarizes the study\u27s implications for conductor assessment and provides a possible framework for use in Michigan public schools for administrators to effectively evaluate conductors. This proposed assessment instrument aligns the formal musical training attributes found in the literature with those of successful musical performance practices and offers opportunities for growth and continued development of the conductor

Answering Subcognitive Turing Test Questions: A Reply to French

Robert French has argued that a disembodied computer is incapable of passing a Turing Test that includes subcognitive questions. Subcognitive questions are designed to probe the network of cultural and perceptual associations that humans naturally develop as we live, embodied and embedded in the world. In this paper, I show how it is possible for a disembodied computer to answer subcognitive questions appropriately, contrary to French’s claim. My approach to answering subcognitive questions is to use statistical information extracted from a very large collection of text. In particular, I show how it is possible to answer a sample of subcognitive questions taken from French, by issuing queries to a search engine that indexes about 350 million Web pages. This simple algorithm may shed light on the nature of human (sub-) cognition, but the scope of this paper is limited to demonstrating that French is mistaken: a disembodied computer can answer subcognitive questions