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International Conference on Mathematics and Computation in Music

MCM 2015: Mathematics and Computation in Music pp 115–121Cite as

A Corpus-Sensitive Algorithm for Automated Tonal Analysis

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 9110))

Abstract

A corpus-sensitive algorithm for tonal analysis is described. The algorithm learns a tonal vocabulary and syntax by grouping together chords that share scale degrees and occur in the same contexts and then compiling a transition matrix between these chord groups. When trained on a common-practice corpus, the resulting vocabulary of chord groups approximates traditional diatonic Roman numerals. These parameters are then used to determine the key and vocabulary items used in an unanalyzed piece of music. Such a corpus-based method highlights the properties of common-practice music on which traditional analysis is based, while offering the opportunity for analytical and pedagogical methods more sensitive to the characteristics of individual repertories.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, USA

    Christopher Wm. White

Authors
  1. Christopher Wm. White
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher Wm. White .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. De Montfort University, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Tom Collins

  2. Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    David Meredith

  3. Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Anja Volk

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© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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White, C.W. (2015). A Corpus-Sensitive Algorithm for Automated Tonal Analysis. In: Collins, T., Meredith, D., Volk, A. (eds) Mathematics and Computation in Music. MCM 2015. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 9110. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20603-5_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20603-5_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-20602-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-20603-5

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

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