2007 Discussion Forum 4A. Similarity perception in listening to Music.
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/18627
2024-03-29T10:51:18ZModels of musical similarity
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19325
Models of musical similarity
Wiggins, Geraint
I attempt to align and compare the various papers in this Discussion Forum and to draw some general conclusions from them. Because the range of papers is so broad, it is not possible to compare them in detail, and so the comparison is made at the meta-level, comparing the nature of the models and techniques proposed, and the results produced, and discussing how these important papers combine to contribute to our understanding of music cognition. In conclusion, I propose a viewpoint based on memory and learning, to which, I claim, all the work ultimately points.
2009-01-11T17:36:09ZMotivic matching strategies for automated pattern extraction
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19324
Motivic matching strategies for automated pattern extraction
Lartillot, Olivier; Toiviainen, Petri
This article proposes an approach to the problem of automated extraction of motivic patterns in monodies. Different musical dimensions, restricted in current approaches to the most prominent melodic and rhythmic features at the surface level, are defined. The proposed strategy of detection of repeated patterns consists of an exact matching of the successive parameters forming the motives. We suggest a generalization of the multiple-viewpoint approach that allows a variability of the types of parameters (melodic, rhythmic, etc.) defining each successive extension of these motives. This enables us to take into account a more general class of motives, called heterogeneous motives, which includes interesting motives beyond the scope of previous approaches. Besides, this heterogeneous representation of motives may offer more refined explanations concerning the impact of gross contour representation in motivic analysis. This article also shows that the main problem aroused by the pattern extraction task is related to the control of the combinatorial redundancy of musical structures. Two main strategies are presented, that ensure an adaptive filtering of the redundant structures, and which are based on the notions of closed and cyclic patterns. The method is illustrated with the analysis of two pieces: a medieval Geisslerliedand a Bach Invention.
2009-01-11T17:34:36ZMelodic similarity as a determinant of melody structure
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19323
Melodic similarity as a determinant of melody structure
Ahlbäck, Sven
This paper presents an approach to the analysis of melodic similarity as a determinant of melody structure, which has been applied successfully as a computational system of analysis for the prediction of segmental structure in a large sample of monophonic melodies of diverse cultural origin. (Ahlbäck 2004) Although the impact of similarity in the determination of segmental structure in music is generally acknowledged, methods based on similarity have been criticized with regards to the difficulty of formalizing criteria and threshold values for structurally significant similarity (e.g. Cook 1987). It is herein maintained that, since similarity is a fundamentally relative concept and categorization of similarity and difference relates to a given context, segmentation based on similarity requires a context-sensitive parametric measure of similarity.
The proposed method of analysis is based on common psychological principles such as gestalt psychological principles, human perceptual and cognitive limitations regarding temporal frames of attention, simultaneous category handling and cognition of temporal proportions.
The core hypothesis of the model is that melodic segmentation at a structural level is primarily established by similarity, in particular repetition of melodic content, and dissimilarity, in particular discontinuity of melodic processes. It is discussed how the influence of melodic similarity on segment structure is dependent upon general features of musical structure, such as metrical structure. This notion is supported by the results of an experiment, which indicates that listeners do not make use of repetitions of pitch sequences for melodic segmentation when these are in conflict with the perceived general beat structure.
The influence of metrical context is handled within the method, as well as the means of allowing for different levels of similarity through a categorization of different types and degree of similarity. This is illustrated by an example analysis of a melody in which the segmental structure is determined by melodic similarity of different types, the result of which is evaluated by a listener test. The result supports the notion that structurally significant similarity is relative and contextual and indicates that this is possible to model formally within a rule-based, style- independent method of analysis.
2009-01-11T17:32:13ZMelodic and contextual similarity of folk song phrases
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19322
Melodic and contextual similarity of folk song phrases
Eerola, Tuomas; Bregman, Micah
Various models of melodic similarity have been proposed and assessed in perceptual experiments. Contour and pitch content variables haven been favoured although music-theoretical and statistical variables have also been claimed to explain similarity ratings. A Re-analysis of earlier work by Rosner & Meyer (1986) suggests that simple contextual features can also be highly explanatory with more complex stimuli. A new experiment containing short melodic phrases investigated the effectiveness of several global and comparative variables. A multi-dimensional scaling solution indicated that both melodic direction and pitch range are highly relevant for making such similarity judgments and that the most salient aspects of melody when making similarity judgments are relatively simple context-dependent features.
2009-01-11T17:29:59ZModelling experts notions of melodic similarity
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19321
Modelling experts notions of melodic similarity
Müllensiefen, Daniel; Frieler, Klaus
In this article we show that a subgroup of music experts has a reliable and consistent notion of melodic similarity, and that this notion can be measured with satisfactory precision. Our measurements enable us to model the similarity ratings of music experts by automated and algorithmic means. A large number of algorithmic similarity measure found in the literature were mathematically systematised and implemented. The best similarity algorithms compared to human experts were chosen and optimised by statistical means according to different contexts. A multidimensional scaling model of the algorithmic similarity measures is constructed to give an overiew over the different musical dimensions reflected by these measures. We show some examples where this optimised methods could be successfully applied to real world problems like folk song categorisation and analysis, and discuss further applications and implications.
2009-01-11T17:28:00ZTransportation distances and human perception of melodic similarity
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19320
Transportation distances and human perception of melodic similarity
Veltkamp, Remco C.; Wiering, Frans; Typke, Rainer
This article describes how transportation distances such as the Earth Mover s Distance can be used for measuring melodic similarity for notated music. We represent music notation as weighted point sets in a two-dimensional space of onset time and pitch. The Earth Mover s Distance can then be used for comparing point sets by determining how much work it would take to convert one of the point sets into the other by moving weight between the point sets. For evaluating how well this method and other methods agree with human perception of melodic similarity, we established a ground truth for the RISM A/II collection based on the opinions of human experts.
The RISM A/II collection contains about half a million musical incipits. For 22queries, we filtered the collection so that about 50candidates per query were left, each of which we then presented to about 30human experts (out of a group of 37experts) for a final ranking. We present our filtering methods, the experiment
design, the resulting ground truth, and a new measure (called Average Dynamic Recall ) that can be used for comparing different similarity measures with the ground truth.
2009-01-11T17:25:32ZOn comparing edit distance and geometric frameworks in content-based retrieval of symbolically encoded polyphonic music
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19319
On comparing edit distance and geometric frameworks in content-based retrieval of symbolically encoded polyphonic music
Lemström, Kjell; Pienimäki, Anna
This paper deals with content-based music retrieval (CBMR) of symbolically encoded polyphonic music. It is one of the key issues in the field of music information retrieval. Due to extensive research, there are already satisfactory methods for monophonic CBMR. Unfortunately, this is not the case with the polyphonic task. The problem has been approached in various ways; the majority of the methods suggested fall into two frameworks. The first framework models music as linear strings and the similarity is based on the well-known edit-distance
concept. The second one models music as sets of two-dimensional geometric objects (consider the piano-roll representation), but the definition of similarity varies considerably within the framework. We scrutinise these frameworks trying to find common, relevant properties that either inhibit or boost the effectiveness of the methods. Although the edit-distance framework offers more efficient solutions, we conclude that the geometric framework is the choice for the CBMR task because of the very natural way of modelling music still preserving the features intrinsic to the task.
2009-01-11T17:22:55ZThemes as prototypes: Similarity judgments and categorization tasks in musical contexts
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19318
Themes as prototypes: Similarity judgments and categorization tasks in musical contexts
Ziv, Naomi; Eitan, Zohar
Similarity judgments and corresponding categorizations often differ, as the former does not predict the latter (Keil, 1989). Prototype-based models suggest that categorization emphasizes features which distinguish contrasting prototypes from each other, features which may have a lesser role in free similarity ratings (Medin, Goldstone & Gentner, 1993; Rosch, 1988). We studied this effect in musical contexts, examining how specifying contrasting musical themes as frames of reference affects listeners categorizations of other extracts in the same composition, and comparing categorizations with corresponding similarity judgments. Musical materials employed in Lamont & Dibben s similarity rating experiment (2001), extracted from piano pieces by Beethoven and Schoenberg, were used. Participants independently marked, for each piece, to what degree extracts belong to each of its two main themes. These categorizations were compared with similarity ratings in the above study and with published thematic analyses of the 2pieces, and were correlated with combinations of diverse musical features of the themes.
Categorizations concurred with similarity ratings for Beethoven, and differed for Schoenberg. However, despite participants independent ratings of affiliations with the two themes, in both pieces categorizations, unlike similarity ratings, were negatively correlated: the stronger an extract s affiliation with a theme, the weaker its affiliation with a contrasting theme. This effect resulted in some dramatic disparities between similarity ratings and corresponding categorizations. In addition, correlating listeners categorizations with musical features generated a graded categorystructure, where an extract s affiliation with a theme correlated with the number of distinctive surface features it shared with this theme. We suggest that musical themes serve as concrete prototypes for other events in the piece. Presenting contrasting themes emphasizes their distinctive features, thus creating an intraopus field of similarities and differences which characterizes the piece. Within that field, rival prototypes, represented by the main themes, compete to add incoming events to their sphere.
2009-01-11T17:20:27ZSocial dimensions of melodic identity, cognition, and association
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19317
Social dimensions of melodic identity, cognition, and association
Selfridge-Field, Eleanor
While music researchers are interested in developing tools for automatically culling related melodies and psychologists seek a clearer understanding of how people learn, recognize, and remember melodies, musicological and ethnomusicological studies offer numerous studies of tune families. Tune families cohere, it seems, partly on the basis of cultural agreement. Melodies seem to be similar if people say they are. Are there particular musical characteristics which are favored in the formation and cohesion of family members? Music scholars have been investigating this question for a half century. As their investigations have accrued, respect for complexity of melody and the many ways in which two melodies can be the same or different has increased proportionally. This study examines five tune families and evaluates selected members of each according to a previously proposed cognitive-distance measure. Concordances and cases of musical divergence in the context of claimed relatedness are evaluated in relation to collection-formation types, melodic types, and transmission methods (printed, oral, both). Neither hand-picked members of families nor those culled by title preservation necessarily show a high degree of musical coherence. However, among the families chosen, the predominance of pieces originally associated with dancing is conspicuous. This suggests that even when contour and other features vary, lengthy rhythmic patterns may underlie the social identity of melodic similarity.
2009-01-11T16:33:38ZIntensity changes and perceived similarity: Inter-parametric analogies
https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/19316
Intensity changes and perceived similarity: Inter-parametric analogies
Eitan, Zohar; Granot, Roni Y.
Music theorists and psychologists have described diverse musical processes in terms of changes (increase or decrease) in intensity . This paper examines the hypothesis that analogous intensity changes in different musical parameters can be perceived as similar, and discusses implications of such perception for music analysis. In the experiment reported, participants rated the degree to which members of pairs of musical stimuli were similar in character to a standard a crescendo on a repeated tone. One member of each pair presented an increase in a specific musical parameter, while the other presented a decrease (e.g., pitch ascent vs. descent). Parameters investigated included melodic direction and attack rate and their combinations, pitch interval size, motivic pace, and harmonic tension. For most parameters, the intensifying figure was rated as closer to the standard (itself intensifying) than its abating counterpart. Perceived similarity was strongest
between figures presenting intensification in dynamics (crescendo) and pitch direction (ascent), while similarity between intensification in dynamics and tempo (accelerando) was weaker, and perceived mainly by musically-trained subjects. Similarity between dynamic change and harmonic progression was perceived only
when the latter involved manipulation of dissonance, and dynamic intensification and increase in pitch interval size were perceived as similar only for ascending intervals. Importantly, the combined effect of melodic direction and attack rate on similarity perception was additive, rather than interactive, though the effect of
melodic direction was significantly stronger. This result supports models of integrated intensity contours (Berry, 1976; Todd, 1994), but suggests different weighting for different musical parameters. In sum, results indicate that listeners can perceive intensity contours in different parameters as analogous, and thus suggest that intensity contours may serve as musical gestures , regardless of the specific parameters depicting them. The implications of these results to music analysis are discussed with regard to motivic structure, thematic prototypicality, and structural functions of intensity contours.
2009-01-11T16:17:33Z