Method and apparatus for music summarization and creation of audio summaries

• US 6,225,546 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Teng, Shang-hua, Kraft, Reiner, Lu, Qi
• Primary Examiner(s): Donels, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US09/543,715
• Time in Patent Office: 391 Days
• Field of Search: 84/609, 84/634, 84/645, 700/94, 704/300, 704/503
• US Class Current: 84/609
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/00 Details of electrophonic musical instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2210/056 for extraction or identification of individual instrumental parts, e.g. melody, chords, bass; Identification or separation of instrumental parts by their characteristic voices or timbres
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/056 MIDI or other note-oriented file format
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/131 Library retrieval, i.e. searching a database or selecting a specific musical piece, segment, pattern, rule or parameter set

Abstract

A method and system for generating audio summaries of musical pieces receives computer readable data representing the musical piece and generates therefrom an audio summary including the main melody of the musical piece. A component builder generates a plurality of composite and primitive components representing the structural elements of the musical piece and creates a hierarchical representation of the components. The most primitive components, representing notes within the composition, are examined to determine repetitive patterns within the composite components. A melody detector examines the hierarchical representation of the components and uses algorithms to detect which of the repetitive patterns is the main melody of the composition. Once the main melody is detected, the segment of the musical data containing the main melody is provided in one or more formats. Musical knowledge rules representing specific genres of musical styles may be used to assist the component builder and melody detector in determining which primitive component patterns are the most likely candidates for the main melody.

Claims

1. A method of generating an audio summarization of a musical piece having a main melody, the method comprising:

(a) receiving computer-readable data representing the musical piece;

(b) generating from the computer-readable data a plurality of components representing structural elements of the musical piece;

(c) detecting the main melody among the generated components and generating computer-readable data representing the main melody; and

(d) generating from the computer-readable data representing the main melody an audio summary containing a representation of the detected main melody.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein step (b) further comprises:

(b.1) designating at least some of the components as composite components and others of the components as primitive components, the composite components comprising other components.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein step (c) comprises:

(c.1) detecting the main melody among the primitive components.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the primitive components represent notes within the musical piece and the composite components represent any of measures, tracks, or parts within the musical piece.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein step (c.1) comprises:

(c.1.1)detecting repetitive patterns of notes within any of the measures, tracks or parts.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) further comprises the step of:

(a.1) converting an audio wave file representing the musical piece into computer readable data representing the musical piece.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein step (a) comprises:

(a.1) converting a human readable notation representing the musical piece into computer readable data representing the musical piece.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer readable data further comprises data identifying a particular musical genre.

10. The method of claim 4 wherein step (c) further comprises the step of:

(c.1) detecting the main melody in accordance with one or more rules associated with the identified genre.

2. The method of claim wherein step (b) further comprises:

(b.1) creating a hierarchical tree from the generated components, tree representing the hierarchical relationship among the components.

11. In a computer processing apparatus, an apparatus for generating an audio summarization of a musical piece having a main melody, the apparatus comprising:

(a) an analyzer configured to receive computer-readable data representing the musical piece;

(b) component builder configured to generate from the computer-readable data a plurality of components representing structural elements of the musical piece;

(c) a detection engine configured to detect the main melody among the generated components and generate computer-readable data representing the main melody; and

(d) a generator responsive to the computer-readable data representing the main melody and configured to create an audio summary containing a representation of the detected main melody.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the component builder comprises:

(b.1) program logic configured to create a hierarchical tree from the generated components, tree representing the hierarchical relationship among the components.

13. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the component builder further comprises:

(b.1) program logic configured to designate at least some of the components as composite components and others of the components as primitive components, the composite components comprising other components.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein the detection engine comprises:

(c.1) program logic configured to detect the main melody among the primitive components.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the primitive components represent notes within the musical piece and the composite components represent any of measures, tracks, or parts within the musical piece.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the detection engine further comprises:

(c.1.1) program logic configured to detect repetitive patterns of notes within any of the measures, tracks or parts.

17. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the analyzer further comprises:

(a.1) program logic configured to convert an audio wave file representing the musical piece into computer readable data representing the musical piece.

18. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the analyzer further comprises:

(a.1) program logic configured to convert a human readable notation representing the musical piece into computer readable data representing the musical piece.

19. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein the computer readable data further comprises data identifying a particular musical genre.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the detection engine further comprises:

(c.1) program logic configured to detect the main melody in accordance with one or more rules associated with the identified genre.

21. A computer program product for use with a computer apparatus, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied thereon comprising:

(a) analyzer program code configured to receive computer-readable data representing the musical piece;

(b) component builder program code configured to generate from the computer-readable data a plurality of components representing structural elements of the musical piece;

(c) detection engine program code configured to detect the main melody among the generated components and generate computer-readable data representing the main melody; and

(d) generator program code responsive to the computer-readable data representing the main melody and configured to create an audio summary containing a representation of the detected main melody.

22. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the component builder program code comprises:

(b.1) program code configured to create a hierarchical tree from the generated components, tree representing the hierarchical relationship among the components.

23. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the component builder program code further comprises:

(b.1) program code configured to designate at least some of the components as composite components and others of the components as primitive components, the composite components comprising other components.

24. The computer program product of claim 23 wherein the detection engine program code comprises:

(c.1) program code configured to detect the main melody among the primitive components.

25. The computer program product of claim 24 wherein the primitive components represent notes within the musical piece and the composite components represent any of measures, tracks, or parts within the musical piece.

26. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the detection engine program code further comprises:

(c.1.1) program code configured to detect repetitive patterns of notes within any of the measures, tracks or parts.

27. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the analyzer program code further comprises:

(a.1) program code configured to convert an audio wave file representing the musical piece into computer readable data representing the musical piece.

28. The computer program product of claim of 21 wherein the analyzer program code further comprises:

(a.1) program code configured to convert a human readable notation representing the musical piece into computer readable data representing the musical piece.

29. The computer program product of claim 21 wherein the computer readable data further comprises data identifying a particular musical genre.

30. The computer program product of claim 29 wherein the detection engine program code further comprises:

(c.1) program code configured to detect the main melody in accordance with one or more rules associated with the identified genre.