annotate smc2012/MelodyTrianglesmc2012.tex @ 58:a63c438b3f65 tip

Squeezed it into the 6 page limit
author Henrik Ekeus <hekeus@eecs.qmul.ac.uk>
date Tue, 11 Jun 2013 15:17:21 +0100
parents 3d4469f9e172
children
rev   line source
hekeus@45 1 % -----------------------------------------------
hekeus@45 2 % Template for SMC 2012
hekeus@45 3 % adapted from the template for SMC 2011, which was adapted from that of SMC 2010
hekeus@45 4 % -----------------------------------------------
hekeus@45 5
hekeus@45 6 \documentclass{article}
hekeus@45 7 \usepackage{smc2012}
hekeus@45 8 \usepackage{times}
hekeus@45 9 \usepackage{ifpdf}
hekeus@45 10 \usepackage[english]{babel}
hekeus@45 11 \usepackage{cite}
hekeus@45 12
hekeus@45 13 \usepackage{graphicx}
hekeus@45 14 \usepackage{amssymb}
hekeus@45 15 \usepackage{epstopdf}
hekeus@45 16 \usepackage{url}
hekeus@45 17 \usepackage{listings}
hekeus@45 18 %\usepackage[expectangle]{tools}
hekeus@45 19 \usepackage{tools}
samer@49 20 \usepackage{fixfloats}
hekeus@45 21 \usepackage{tikz}
hekeus@45 22 \usetikzlibrary{calc}
hekeus@45 23 \usetikzlibrary{matrix}
hekeus@45 24 \usetikzlibrary{patterns}
hekeus@45 25 \usetikzlibrary{arrows}
hekeus@45 26
hekeus@45 27 \let\citep=\cite
hekeus@45 28 \newcommand{\colfig}[2][1]{\includegraphics[width=#1\linewidth]{figures/#2}}%
hekeus@45 29 \newcommand\preals{\reals_+}
hekeus@45 30 \newcommand\X{\mathcal{X}}
hekeus@45 31 \newcommand\Y{\mathcal{Y}}
hekeus@45 32 \newcommand\domS{\mathcal{S}}
hekeus@45 33 \newcommand\A{\mathcal{A}}
hekeus@45 34 \newcommand\Data{\mathcal{D}}
hekeus@45 35 \newcommand\rvm[1]{\mathrm{#1}}
hekeus@45 36 \newcommand\sps{\,.\,}
hekeus@45 37 \newcommand\Ipred{\mathcal{I}_{\mathrm{pred}}}
hekeus@45 38 \newcommand\Ix{\mathcal{I}}
hekeus@45 39 \newcommand\IXZ{\overline{\underline{\mathcal{I}}}}
hekeus@45 40 \newcommand\x{\vec{x}}
hekeus@45 41 \newcommand\Ham[1]{\mathcal{H}_{#1}}
hekeus@45 42 \newcommand\subsets[2]{[#1]^{(k)}}
hekeus@45 43 \def\bet(#1,#2){#1..#2}
hekeus@45 44
hekeus@45 45
hekeus@45 46 \def\ev(#1=#2){#1\!\!=\!#2}
hekeus@45 47 \newcommand\rv[1]{\Omega \to #1}
hekeus@45 48 \newcommand\ceq{\!\!=\!}
hekeus@45 49 \newcommand\cmin{\!-\!}
hekeus@45 50 \newcommand\modulo[2]{#1\!\!\!\!\!\mod#2}
hekeus@45 51
hekeus@45 52 \newcommand\sumitoN{\sum_{i=1}^N}
hekeus@45 53 \newcommand\sumktoK{\sum_{k=1}^K}
hekeus@45 54 \newcommand\sumjtoK{\sum_{j=1}^K}
hekeus@45 55 \newcommand\sumalpha{\sum_{\alpha\in\A}}
hekeus@45 56 \newcommand\prodktoK{\prod_{k=1}^K}
hekeus@45 57 \newcommand\prodjtoK{\prod_{j=1}^K}
hekeus@45 58
hekeus@45 59 \newcommand\past[1]{\overset{\rule{0pt}{0.2em}\smash{\leftarrow}}{#1}}
hekeus@45 60 \newcommand\fut[1]{\overset{\rule{0pt}{0.1em}\smash{\rightarrow}}{#1}}
hekeus@45 61 \newcommand\parity[2]{P^{#1}_{2,#2}}
hekeus@45 62
hekeus@45 63
hekeus@45 64 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Some useful packages %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
hekeus@45 65 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% See related documentation %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
hekeus@45 66 %\usepackage{amsmath} % popular packages from Am. Math. Soc. Please use the
hekeus@45 67 %\usepackage{amssymb} % related math environments (split, subequation, cases,
hekeus@45 68 %\usepackage{amsfonts}% multline, etc.)
hekeus@45 69 %\usepackage{bm} % Bold Math package, defines the command \bf{}
hekeus@45 70 %\usepackage{paralist}% extended list environments
hekeus@45 71 %%subfig.sty is the modern replacement for subfigure.sty. However, subfig.sty
hekeus@45 72 %%requires and automatically loads caption.sty which overrides class handling
hekeus@45 73 %%of captions. To prevent this problem, preload caption.sty with caption=false
hekeus@45 74 %\usepackage[caption=false]{caption}
hekeus@45 75 %\usepackage[font=footnotesize]{subfig}
hekeus@45 76
hekeus@45 77
hekeus@45 78 %user defined variables
hekeus@45 79 \def\papertitle{The Melody Triangle - Pattern and Predictability in Music}
samer@49 80 \def\firstauthor{Henrik Ekeus}
samer@49 81 \def\secondauthor{Samer A. Abdallah}
hekeus@45 82 \def\thirdauthor{Mark D. Plumbley}
hekeus@45 83 \def\fourthauthor{Peter W. McOwan}
hekeus@45 84
hekeus@45 85 % adds the automatic
hekeus@45 86 % Saves a lot of ouptut space in PDF... after conversion with the distiller
hekeus@45 87 % Delete if you cannot get PS fonts working on your system.
hekeus@45 88
hekeus@45 89 % pdf-tex settings: detect automatically if run by latex or pdflatex
hekeus@45 90 \newif\ifpdf
hekeus@45 91 \ifx\pdfoutput\relax
hekeus@45 92 \else
hekeus@45 93 \ifcase\pdfoutput
hekeus@45 94 \pdffalse
hekeus@45 95 \else
hekeus@45 96 \pdftrue
hekeus@45 97 \fi
hekeus@45 98
hekeus@45 99 \ifpdf % compiling with pdflatex
hekeus@45 100 \usepackage[pdftex,
hekeus@45 101 pdftitle={\papertitle},
hekeus@45 102 pdfauthor={\firstauthor, \secondauthor, \thirdauthor},
hekeus@45 103 bookmarksnumbered, % use section numbers with bookmarks
hekeus@45 104 pdfstartview=XYZ % start with zoom=100% instead of full screen;
hekeus@45 105 % especially useful if working with a big screen :-)
hekeus@45 106 ]{hyperref}
hekeus@45 107 %\pdfcompresslevel=9
hekeus@45 108
hekeus@45 109 %\usepackage[pdftex]{graphicx}
hekeus@45 110 % declare the path(s) where your graphic files are and their extensions so
hekeus@45 111 %you won't have to specify these with every instance of \includegraphics
hekeus@45 112 %\graphicspath{{./figures/}}
hekeus@45 113 %\DeclareGraphicsExtensions{.pdf,.jpeg,.png}
hekeus@45 114
hekeus@45 115 \usepackage[figure,table]{hypcap}
hekeus@45 116
hekeus@45 117 \else % compiling with latex
hekeus@45 118 \usepackage[dvips,
hekeus@45 119 bookmarksnumbered, % use section numbers with bookmarks
hekeus@45 120 pdfstartview=XYZ % start with zoom=100% instead of full screen
hekeus@45 121 ]{hyperref} % hyperrefs are active in the pdf file after conversion
hekeus@45 122
hekeus@45 123 \usepackage[dvips]{epsfig,graphicx}
hekeus@45 124 % declare the path(s) where your graphic files are and their extensions so
hekeus@45 125 %you won't have to specify these with every instance of \includegraphics
hekeus@45 126 \graphicspath{{./figures/}}
hekeus@45 127 \DeclareGraphicsExtensions{.eps}
hekeus@45 128
hekeus@45 129 \usepackage[figure,table]{hypcap}
hekeus@45 130 \fi
hekeus@45 131
hekeus@45 132 %setup the hyperref package - make the links black without a surrounding frame
hekeus@45 133 \hypersetup{
hekeus@45 134 colorlinks,%
hekeus@45 135 citecolor=black,%
hekeus@45 136 filecolor=black,%
hekeus@45 137 linkcolor=black,%
hekeus@45 138 urlcolor=black
hekeus@45 139 }
hekeus@45 140
hekeus@45 141
hekeus@45 142 % Title.
hekeus@45 143 % ------
hekeus@45 144 \title{\papertitle}
hekeus@45 145
hekeus@45 146 % Authors
hekeus@45 147 % Please note that submissions are NOT anonymous, therefore
hekeus@45 148 % authors' names have to be VISIBLE in your manuscript.
hekeus@45 149 %
hekeus@45 150 % Single address
hekeus@45 151 % To use with only one author or several with the same address
hekeus@45 152 % ---------------
hekeus@45 153 \oneauthor
hekeus@45 154 {\firstauthor, \secondauthor, \thirdauthor, \fourthauthor} {Queen Mary University of London \\ Centre for Digital Music \\ School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science\\%
hekeus@50 155 {\tt \href{mailto:hekeus@eecs.qmul.ac.uk}{\{hekeus,samer.abdallah\}@eecs.qmul.ac.uk}}}
hekeus@45 156
hekeus@45 157 %Two addresses
hekeus@45 158 %--------------
hekeus@45 159 % \twoauthors
hekeus@45 160 % {\firstauthor} {Affiliation1 \\ %
hekeus@45 161 % {\tt \href{mailto:author1@smcnetwork.org}{author1@smcnetwork.org}}}
hekeus@45 162 % {\secondauthor} {Affiliation2 \\ %
hekeus@45 163 % {\tt \href{mailto:author2@smcnetwork.org}{author2@smcnetwork.org}}}
hekeus@45 164
hekeus@45 165 % Three addresses
hekeus@45 166 % --------------
hekeus@45 167 % \threeauthors
hekeus@45 168 % {\firstauthor} {Affiliation1 \\ %
hekeus@45 169 % {\tt \href{mailto:author1@smcnetwork.org}{author1@smcnetwork.org}}}
hekeus@45 170 % {\secondauthor} {Affiliation2 \\ %
hekeus@45 171 % {\tt \href{mailto:author2@smcnetwork.org}{author2@smcnetwork.org}}}
hekeus@45 172 % {\thirdauthor} { Affiliation3 \\ %
hekeus@45 173 % {\tt \href{mailto:author3@smcnetwork.org}{author3@smcnetwork.org}}}
hekeus@45 174 %
hekeus@45 175
hekeus@45 176 % ***************************************** the document starts here ***************
hekeus@45 177 \begin{document}
hekeus@45 178 %
hekeus@45 179 \capstartfalse
hekeus@45 180 \maketitle
hekeus@45 181 \capstarttrue
hekeus@45 182 %
hekeus@45 183 \begin{abstract}
hekeus@50 184 The Melody Triangle is an interface for the discovery of melodic materials, where the input -- positions within a triangle -- directly map to information theoretic properties of the output. The measures are the entropy rate, redundancy and \emph{predictive information rate}\cite{Abdallah:2009p4089} of the random process used to generate the sequence of notes. These are all related to the \emph{predictability} of the sequence and as such address the notions of expectation and surprise in the perception of music. We describe some of the relevant ideas from information dynamics, how the Melody Triangle is defined in terms of these, and describe two physical incarnations of the Melody Triangle. The first is a multi-user installation where collaboration in a performative setting provides a playful yet informative way to explore expectation and surprise in music. The second is a screen based interface where the Melody Triangle becomes a cognitively-informed compositional aid for the generation of musical textures; the user's control at the abstract level of randomness and predictability. Finally we outline a pilot study where the screen-based interface was used under experimental conditions to determine how the three measures of predictive information rate, entropy and redundancy might relate to musical preference.
hekeus@45 185 \end{abstract}
hekeus@50 186 %the generation of musical materials as a cognitively-informed compositional aid
hekeus@45 187
hekeus@45 188 \section{Information Dynamics}\label{sec:Information_dynamics}
hekeus@50 189
hekeus@50 190 The relationship between
hekeus@50 191 Shannon's \cite{Shannon48} information theory and music and art in general has been the
hekeus@50 192 subject of some interest since the 1950s
hekeus@50 193 \cite{Youngblood58,CoonsKraehenbuehl1958,Moles66,Meyer67,Cohen1962}.
hekeus@50 194 The general thesis is that perceptible qualities and subjective states
hekeus@50 195 like uncertainty, surprise, complexity, tension, and interestingness
hekeus@50 196 are closely related to information-theoretic quantities like
hekeus@50 197 entropy, relative entropy, and mutual information.
hekeus@50 198
hekeus@50 199
hekeus@50 200 Music is an inherently dynamic process. The idea that the musical experience is strongly shaped by the generation
hekeus@50 201 and playing out of strong and weak expectations was put forward by, amongst others,
hekeus@50 202 music theorists L. B. Meyer \cite{Meyer:1967} and Narmour \citep{Narmour:1977}.
hekeus@50 203 %Composers commonly, consciously or not, play with this process by setting up expectations which may, or may not be fulfilled, manipulating the expectations of the listener and inducing surprise or not as the music progresses
hekeus@45 204 %and surprise in the listener has been articulated by music theorist Meyer
hekeus@50 205 %\cite{Meyer:1967,Narmour:1977}.
hekeus@50 206 Central to this is the idea that music is not a static object presented as a whole,
hekeus@45 207 %as the grammatical analysis of Lerdahl and Jackendoff \cite{Lerdahl:1983} might imply,
hekeus@50 208 but as a phenomenon that `unfolds' and is experienced \emph{in time}; as listeners we continually build and re-evaluate expectations of what is to come next.
hekeus@50 209
hekeus@50 210
hekeus@50 211
hekeus@50 212
hekeus@50 213
hekeus@45 214
hekeus@45 215 Information dynamics\cite{Abdallah:2009p4089} considers several different kinds of predictability in musical patterns, how these might be quantified using the tools of information theory,
hekeus@45 216 %human listeners might perceive these,
hekeus@50 217 and how they shape or affect the listening experience. Our working hypothesis is that listeners maintain a dynamically evolving statistical model that enables them to make predictions about how a piece of music will continue. They do this using both the immediate context of the piece as well as using previous musical experience, such as a familiarity with musical styles and conventions. As the music unfolds, listeners continually revise their model; in other words, they revise their own, subjective probabilistic belief state. These changes in probabilistic beliefs can be associated with
hekeus@45 218 quantities of information; these are the focus of information dynamics.
hekeus@45 219
hekeus@45 220
hekeus@45 221
hekeus@45 222 \section{The Melody Triangle}\label{sec:The_Melody_triangle}
hekeus@45 223 %%%How we created the transition matrixes and created the triangle.
hekeus@45 224 The use of stochastic processes in music composition has been widespread for
hekeus@45 225 decades---for instance Iannis Xenakis applied probabilistic mathematical models
hekeus@45 226 to the creation of musical materials\cite{Xenakis:1992ul}. While such processes
hekeus@45 227 can drive the \emph{generative} phase of the creative process, information dynamics
hekeus@45 228 can serve as a novel framework for a \emph{selective} phase, by
hekeus@45 229 providing a set of criteria to be used in judging which of the
hekeus@45 230 generated materials
hekeus@45 231 are of value. This alternation of generative and selective phases as been
hekeus@45 232 noted before \cite{Boden1990}.
hekeus@45 233 %
hekeus@45 234 Information-dynamic criteria can also be used as \emph{constraints} on the
hekeus@45 235 generative processes, for example, by specifying a certain temporal profile
hekeus@45 236 of suprisingness and uncertainty the composer wishes to induce in the listener
hekeus@45 237 as the piece unfolds.
hekeus@45 238
hekeus@45 239 The Melody Triangle enables the discovery of melodic content matching a set of information theoretic criteria. Positions within the triangle correspond with pairs of values of entropy rate and redundancy. %The relationship with the predictive information rate is not explicitly controlled as this would require a three-dimensional interface, but an implicit relationship emerges, which is described in section \ref{makingthetriangle}.
hekeus@45 240 The physical interface to the Triangle has so far been realised in two forms: as an interactive installation and as a screen based interface.
hekeus@45 241
hekeus@50 242 Given coordinates corresponding to a point in the triangle, we select from a pre-built
hekeus@45 243 library of random processes, choosing one whose entropy rate and redundancy match the desired
hekeus@45 244 values. The implementations discussed in this paper use first order Markov chains as the content generator,
hekeus@45 245 since it is easy to compute the theoretically exact values of entropy rate, redundancy and predictive
hekeus@45 246 information rate given the transition matrix of the Markov chain. However, in principle, any generative system could be used to create the library of sequences, given an appropriate probabilistic listener model supporting
hekeus@45 247 the estimation of entropy rate and redundancy.
hekeus@45 248
hekeus@45 249 The Markov chain based implementation generates streams of symbols in the abstract; the alphabet of symbols is then mapped to a set of distinct sounds, such as pitched notes in a scale or a set of percussive
hekeus@45 250 sounds. Further by layering these streams intricate musical textures can be created. The selection of
hekeus@45 251 notes or sounds is arbitrary, as long as they are all distinguishable.
hekeus@45 252 %)le is not a part of the Melody Triangle's core functionality, i
hekeus@45 253 Indeed, the symbols could be mapped to even non sonic outputs such as visible shapes, colours, or movements.
hekeus@45 254
hekeus@45 255 Any sequence of symbols can be analysed and information theoretic measures estimated from it.
hekeus@45 256 The novelty of the Melody Triangle lies in that we reverse this mapping: given desired values for these measures, as determined from the user interface, we return a stream of symbols with the desired properties.
hekeus@45 257 In the next section we describe the three information theoretic measures that we use.
hekeus@45 258
hekeus@45 259
hekeus@45 260 \section{Sequential Information Measures}\label{sec:Sequential_Information_Measures}
hekeus@45 261 The \emph{entropy rate} of a random process is a basic measure of its randomness or
hekeus@45 262 unpredictablity. Consider the viewpoint of an observer at a certain time, and split the
hekeus@45 263 sequence into an infinite \emph{past}, as single symbol in the \emph{present}, and the
hekeus@45 264 infinite \emph{future}. The entropy rate is a conditional entropy; informally:
hekeus@45 265 \begin{equation}
hekeus@45 266 \mathrm{EntropyRate} = H( \mathrm{Present} | \mathrm{Past}),
hekeus@45 267 \end{equation}
hekeus@45 268 that is, it represents our average uncertainty about the present symbol \emph{given}
hekeus@45 269 that we have observed everything before it. Processes with zero entropy rate can
hekeus@45 270 be predicted perfectly given enough of the preceeding context.
hekeus@45 271
hekeus@45 272 The \emph{redundancy} of the a process, in the sense we are using the term here, is
hekeus@45 273 a measure of how much the predictability of the process depends on knowing the
hekeus@45 274 preceeding context. It is the difference between the entropy of a single element of the
hekeus@45 275 sequence in isolation (imagine chosing a note from a musical score at random with your
hekeus@45 276 eyes closed and then trying to guess the note) and its entropy after taking into account
hekeus@45 277 the preceeding context:
hekeus@45 278 \begin{equation}
hekeus@45 279 \mathrm{Redundancy} = H( \mathrm{Present} ) - H(\mathrm{Present} | \mathrm{Past}).
hekeus@45 280 \end{equation}
hekeus@45 281 If the previous symbols reduce our uncertainty about present symbol a great deal, then
hekeus@45 282 the redundancy is high. For example, if we know that a sequence consists of a repeating
hekeus@45 283 cycle such as $ \ldots b, c, d, a, b, c, d, a \ldots$, but we don't know which was the first
hekeus@45 284 symbol, then the redundancy is high, as $H(\mathrm{Present})$ is high (because we
hekeus@45 285 have no idea about the present symbol in isolation, but $H(\mathrm{Present}|\mathrm{Past})$
hekeus@45 286 is zero, because knowing the previous symbol immediately tells us what the present symbol is.
hekeus@45 287
hekeus@45 288 The \emph{predictive information rate} (PIR) brings in our uncertainty about the future. It is a
hekeus@45 289 measure of how much each symbol reduces our uncertainty about the future as it is
hekeus@45 290 observed, \emph{given} that we have observed the past:
hekeus@45 291 \begin{equation}
hekeus@45 292 \mathrm{PIR} = H(\mathrm{Future} | \mathrm{Past}) - H(\mathrm{Future} | \mathrm{Present}, \mathrm{Past}).
hekeus@45 293 \end{equation}
hekeus@45 294 It is a measure of the \emph{new} information in each symbol.
hekeus@45 295 Notice that if the past completely determines both the present and the future (as in the cyclic
hekeus@45 296 pattern above) the PIR is zero, since the present symbol brings no new information. However,
hekeus@45 297 if the symbols in a sequence are generated completely independently, e.g. by rolling a die for each
hekeus@45 298 one, then again, the present symbol provides no information about the future and the PIR
hekeus@45 299 is zero.
hekeus@45 300
hekeus@45 301 %However, there do exist processes that have high predictive information rates as compared
hekeus@45 302 %with their entropy rates: within the class of Markov chains, these are neither the periodic nor the sequentially uncorrellated ones. Rather they tend to yield sequences that have certain recognisable patterns or motifs,
hekeus@45 303 %but which occur at irregular times. A certain symbol might tell us about which one of the characteristic patterns will appear next. Each symbol tell a us little bit about the future; in order to make good predictions,
hekeus@45 304 %the listener must continually pay attention, building up expectations on the basis of each new observation.
hekeus@45 305 %% but only a limited amount about the infinite future, we only learn about that as time goes on; there is continual building of prediction.
hekeus@45 306 Processes with high PIR maintain a certain kind of balance between
hekeus@45 307 predictability and unpredictability in such a way that the observer must continually
hekeus@45 308 pay attention to each new observation as it occurs in order to make the best
hekeus@50 309 possible predictions about the evolution of the sequence. This balance between predictability
hekeus@45 310 and unpredictability is reminiscent of the inverted `U' shape of the Wundt curve (see \figrf{wundt}),
hekeus@45 311 which summarises the observations of Wundt \cite{Wundt1897} that stimuli are most
hekeus@45 312 pleasing at intermediate levels of novelty or disorder, where there is a balance between
hekeus@45 313 `order' and `chaos'.
hekeus@45 314
hekeus@45 315 \begin{fig}{wundt}
hekeus@45 316 \raisebox{-4em}{\colfig[0.43]{wundt}}
hekeus@45 317 % {\ \shortstack{{\Large$\longrightarrow$}\\ {\scriptsize\emph{exposure}}}\ }
hekeus@45 318 {\ {\large$\longrightarrow$}\ }
hekeus@45 319 \raisebox{-4em}{\colfig[0.43]{wundt2}}
hekeus@45 320 \caption{
hekeus@45 321 The Wundt curve relating randomness/complexity with
hekeus@45 322 perceived value. Repeated exposure sometimes results
hekeus@45 323 in a move to the left along the curve \cite{Berlyne71}.
hekeus@45 324 }
hekeus@45 325 \end{fig}
hekeus@45 326
hekeus@45 327
hekeus@45 328 \begin{figure}
hekeus@45 329 \centering
hekeus@45 330 \includegraphics[width=0.2\textwidth]{figures/PeriodicMatrix.png}
hekeus@45 331 \includegraphics[width=0.2\textwidth]{figures/NonDeterministicMatrix_bw.png}
hekeus@45 332 \caption{Two transition matrixes. The shade of white represents the probabilities of transition from one symbol to the next (black=0, white=1). The current symbol is along the bottom, and in this case there are twelve possibilities (mapped to a chromatic scale). The left hand matrix has no uncertainty; it represents a periodic pattern. The right hand matrix contains unpredictability but nonetheless is not completely without perceivable structure, it is of a higher entropy rate. \label{TransitionMatrixes}}
hekeus@45 333 \end{figure}
hekeus@45 334
hekeus@45 335
hekeus@45 336
hekeus@45 337 \begin{fig}{mtriscat}
hekeus@45 338 \colfig[0.9]{mtriscat}
hekeus@45 339 \caption{The population of transition matrices in the 3D space of
hekeus@45 340 entropy rate, redundancy and PIR,
hekeus@45 341 all in bits.
hekeus@45 342 The concentrations of points along the redundancy axis correspond
hekeus@45 343 to Markov chains which are roughly periodic with periods of 2 (redundancy 1 bit),
hekeus@45 344 3, 4, \etc all the way to period 7 (redundancy 2.8 bits). The colour of each point
hekeus@45 345 represents its PIR---note that the highest values are found at intermediate entropy
hekeus@45 346 and redundancy, and that the distribution as a whole makes a curved triangle. Although
hekeus@45 347 not visible in this plot, it is largely hollow in the middle. \label{InfoDynEngine}}
hekeus@45 348 \end{fig}
hekeus@45 349
hekeus@45 350
hekeus@45 351
hekeus@45 352 %\begin{figure}
hekeus@45 353 %\centering
hekeus@45 354 %\includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{MatrixDistribution.png}
hekeus@45 355 %\caption{The population of transition matrixes distributed along three axes of redundancy, entropy rate and predictive information rate. Note how the distribution makes a curved triangle-like plane floating in 3d space. \label{InfoDynEngine}}
hekeus@45 356 %\end{figure}
hekeus@45 357 \begin{figure}[h]
hekeus@45 358 \centering
hekeus@45 359 \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{figures/TheTriangle.pdf}
hekeus@45 360 \caption{The Melody Triangle\label{TheTriangle}}
hekeus@45 361 \end{figure}
hekeus@45 362
hekeus@45 363 \subsection{Populating the triangle}\label{makingthetriangle}
hekeus@45 364
hekeus@45 365
hekeus@45 366
hekeus@45 367 Before the Melody Triangle can used, it has to be `populated' with possible parameter values for the melody generators. These are then plotted in a 3d statistical space of redundancy, entropy rate and predictive information rate. In our case we generated thousands of transition matrixes, representing first-order Markov chains, by a random sampling method. In figure \ref{InfoDynEngine} we see a representation of how these matrixes are distributed in the 3d statistical space; each one of these points corresponds to a transition matrix.
hekeus@45 368
hekeus@45 369
hekeus@45 370
hekeus@45 371 When we look at the distribution of transition matrixes plotted in this space, we see that it forms an arch shape that is fairly thin. It thus becomes a reasonable approximation to pretend that it is just a sheet in two dimensions; and so we stretch out this curved arc into a flat triangle. It is this triangular sheet that is our `Melody Triangle' and forms the interface by which the system is controlled.
hekeus@45 372
hekeus@45 373 Though the interface is 2D, the third dimension (PIR) is implicitly present, as
hekeus@45 374 transition matrices retrieved from
hekeus@45 375 along the centre line of the triangle will tend to have higher PIR.
hekeus@45 376 We hypothesise that, under
hekeus@45 377 the appropriate conditions, these will be perceived as more `interesting' or
hekeus@45 378 `melodic.'
hekeus@45 379
hekeus@45 380 When the Melody Triangle is used, regardless of whether it is as a screen based system, or as an interactive installation, it involves a mapping to this statistical space. When the user, through the interface, selects a position within the triangle, the corresponding transition matrix is returned. Figure \ref{TheTriangle} shows how the triangle maps to different measures of redundancy, entropy rate and predictive information rate.
hekeus@45 381
hekeus@45 382 %%%paragraph explaining what the different parts of the triangle are like.
hekeus@45 383 Each corner corresponds to three different extremes of predictability and unpredictability, which could be loosely characterised as `periodicity', `noise' and `repetition'. %Melodies from the `noise' corner have no discernible pattern; they have high entropy rate, low predictive information rate and low redundancy. These melodies are essentially totally random. A melody along the `periodicity' to `repetition' edge are all deterministic loops that get shorter as we approach the `repetition' corner, until it becomes just one repeating note. It is the areas in between the extremes that provide the more `interesting' melodies. That is, those that have some level of unpredictability, but are not completely random. Or, conversely, that are predictable, but not entirely so. This triangular space allows for an intuitive exploration of expectation and surprise in temporal sequences based on a simple model of how one might guess the next event given the previous one.
hekeus@45 384 In our experiments with visualising and sonifying sequences sampled from
hekeus@50 385 first order Markov chains \cite{Abdallah:2009p4089}, we found that
hekeus@45 386 the measures of redundancy rate, entropy rate and predictive information rate correspond to perceptible
hekeus@45 387 characteristics, and that the transition matrices maximising or minimising
hekeus@45 388 each of these quantities are quite distinct. High entropy rates are associated
hekeus@50 389 with completely uncorrelated sequences with no recognisable temporal structure.
hekeus@45 390 High values of redundancy rate are associated with long periodic cycles (and low PIR
hekeus@45 391 and entropy rate). High values of predictive information rate are associated with intermediate values
hekeus@45 392 of redundancy rate and entropy rate, and recognisable, but not completely predictable,
hekeus@45 393 temporal structures.
hekeus@45 394
hekeus@45 395
hekeus@45 396 \section{User Interfaces}
hekeus@45 397 Any number of interfaces could be developed for the Melody Triangle\footnote{The Melody Triangle was developed in Prolog and MatLab. It can be controlled with OpenSoundControl messages, and thus is independent of any specific interface implementation.}. We have developed two; a standard screen based interface where a user moves tokens with a mouse in and around a triangle on screen, and a multi-user interactive installation where a Kinect\footnote{http://www.xbox.com/en-GB/Kinect} camera tracks individuals in a space and maps their positions in the space to the triangle.
hekeus@45 398
hekeus@45 399 \subsection{The Multi-User Installation}
hekeus@45 400
hekeus@45 401 \begin{figure}
hekeus@45 402 \centering
hekeus@45 403 \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{figures/kinnect.pdf}
hekeus@45 404 \caption{The depth map as seen by the Kinect, and the bounding box outlines the blobs detected by OpenNI.\label{Kinect}}
hekeus@45 405 \end{figure}
hekeus@45 406
hekeus@45 407 As a Kinect camera overlooks a space, its range naturally forms a triangle. As visitors/users comes into the range of the camera, they start generating a melody, the statistical properties of this melody determined by the mapping of physical space to statistical space as discussed above. Thus by exploring the physical space the participant changes the predictability of the generated melodic content. When multiple people are in the space they can cooperate to create interweaving melodies, forming intricate polyphonic textures.
hekeus@45 408
hekeus@50 409 The streams of symbols are mapped to MIDI and then played with software instruments in Logic. The tracking system was capable of detecting gestures, and these were mapped to different musical effects such as tempo changes, periodicity changes (going to the off-beat), instrument/register changes and volume (see Table \ref{gestures}, Figure \ref{gestures2}).
hekeus@45 410
hekeus@45 411 \subsubsection{Tracking and Control}
hekeus@45 412
hekeus@45 413 Tracking and control was done using the OpenNI libraries' API\footnote{http://OpenNi.org/} and high level middle-ware for tracking with Kinect. This provided reliable blob tracking of humanoid forms in 2d space. By triangulating this to the Kinect's depth map it became possible to get reliable coordinate of visitors' positions in the space.
hekeus@45 414
hekeus@45 415 By detecting the bounding box of the 2d blobs of individuals in the space, and then normalising these based on the distance of the depth map it became possible to work out if an individual had an arm stretched out or if they were crouching. With this it was possible to define a series of gestures for controlling the system without the use of any controllers(see table \ref{gestures}). Thus for instance by sticking out one's left arm quickly, the melody doubles in tempo. By pulling one's left arm in at the same time as sticking the right arm out the melody would shift onto the offbeat. Sending out both arms would change the instrument being `played'.
hekeus@45 416
hekeus@45 417 \begin{table}
hekeus@45 418 \centering
hekeus@45 419 %\includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{InstructionsText.pdf}
hekeus@45 420 \caption{Gestures and their resulting effect\label{gestures}}
hekeus@45 421 \begin{tabular}{ l c l }
hekeus@45 422 left arm & right arm & meaning\\
hekeus@45 423 \hline
hekeus@45 424 out & static & double tempo \\
hekeus@45 425 in & static & halve tempo \\
hekeus@45 426 static & out & triple tempo \\
hekeus@45 427 static & in & one-third tempo\\
hekeus@45 428 out & in & shift to off-beat \\
hekeus@45 429 out & out & change instrument\\
hekeus@45 430 in & in & reset tempo\\
hekeus@45 431 \end{tabular}
hekeus@45 432 \end{table}
hekeus@45 433
hekeus@50 434 \begin{figure}
hekeus@50 435 \centering
hekeus@50 436 \includegraphics[width=0.5\textwidth]{figures/InstructionsImage2.pdf}
hekeus@50 437 \caption{Gestures and their resulting effect \label{gestures2}}
hekeus@50 438 \end{figure}
hekeus@50 439
hekeus@50 440
hekeus@45 441 \subsubsection{Observations}
hekeus@45 442 Although visitors would need an initial bit of training they would then quickly be able to collaboratively design musical textures. For example, one person could lay down a predictable repeating bass line by keeping themselves to the periodicity/repetition side of the room, while a companion can generate a freer melodic line by being nearer the 'noise' part of the space.
hekeus@45 443
hekeus@45 444
hekeus@45 445 The collaborative nature of this installation is an area that merits attention. By not having one user be able to control the whole narrative, the participants would communicate verbally and direct each other in the goals of learning to use the system and finding interesting musical textures. This collaboration added an element of playfulness and enjoyment that was clearly apparent.
hekeus@45 446
hekeus@45 447 As an artefact this installation is an exploratory prototype and occupies an ambiguous role in terms of purpose; it is in a nebulous middle ground between instrument, art installation and technical demonstration. It is clear however, that as a vehicle for communicating ideas related to the expectation, pattern and predictability in music to the public, it is very effective.
hekeus@45 448
hekeus@45 449 \subsection{The Screen Based Interface}
hekeus@45 450
hekeus@45 451 \begin{figure}
hekeus@45 452 \centering
hekeus@45 453 \includegraphics[width=0.3\textwidth]{figures/UIscreenshot.png}
hekeus@45 454 \caption{Screen shot of the screen based interface for the Melody Triangle\label{UIScreenShot}}
hekeus@45 455 \end{figure}
hekeus@45 456
hekeus@45 457 %The Melody Triangle can also be explored with a standard screen, keyboard and mouse interface. A triangle is drawn on the screen, screen space thus mapped to the statistical space of the Melody Triangle. A number of round tokens, each representing a melody can be dragged in and around the triangle. When a token is dragged into the triangle, the system will start generating the sequence of notes with statistical properties that correspond to its position in the triangle.
hekeus@45 458 %
hekeus@45 459 %Additionally there are a number of keyboard controls. These include controls for changing the overall tempo, for enabling and disabling individual voices, changing registers, going to off-beats and changing the speed of individual voices. The system gives visual feedback to indicate when a token has locked on to a new melody, and contains a buffer zone for allowing tokens to be pushed right to the edges of the triangle without falling out.
hekeus@45 460 %
hekeus@45 461 %In this mode, the Melody Triangle can be used as a kind of composition assistant for the generation of interesting musical textures and melodies. However unlike other computer aided composition tools or programming environments, here the composer engages with music on the high and abstract level of expectation, randomness and predictability.
hekeus@45 462
hekeus@45 463 The screen based interface can serve as a compositional tool.
hekeus@45 464 %%A triangle is drawn on the screen, screen space thus mapped to the statistical
hekeus@45 465 %space of the Melody Triangle.
hekeus@45 466 A number of tokens, each representing a
hekeus@45 467 sonification stream or `voice', can be dragged in and around the triangle.
hekeus@45 468 For each token, a sequence of symbols is sampled using the corresponding
hekeus@45 469 transition matrix, which
hekeus@45 470 %statistical properties that correspond to the token's position is generated. These
hekeus@45 471 %symbols
hekeus@45 472 are then mapped to notes of a scale or percussive sounds%
hekeus@45 473 \footnote{The sampled sequence could easily be mapped to other musical processes, possibly over
hekeus@45 474 different time scales, such as chords, dynamics and timbres. It would also be possible
hekeus@45 475 to map the symbols to visual or other outputs.}%
hekeus@45 476 . Keyboard commands give control over other musical parameters such
hekeus@50 477 as pitch register, inter-onset interval, tempo and dynamics. The system is capable of generating intricate musical textures when multiple tokens are in the triangle.
hekeus@45 478
hekeus@50 479 In this mode the Melody Triangle is a cognitively-informed compositional aid; unlike other computer aided composition tools or programming environments, here the composer exercises control at the abstract level of information-dynamic
hekeus@50 480 properties. The use of Markov Chains for the generation of musical content is not anything new, rather the novelty lies in the ability to define criteria in the selection of generated materials that relate to how a listener might perceive the output.
hekeus@45 481
hekeus@50 482
hekeus@50 483
hekeus@50 484
hekeus@50 485
hekeus@50 486
hekeus@50 487 \section{Information Dynamics and Musical Preference Study}
hekeus@45 488
hekeus@45 489 We are currently in the process of using the screen-based
hekeus@45 490 Melody Triangle user interface to investigate the relationship between the information-dynamic
hekeus@45 491 characteristics of sonified Markov chains and subjective musical preference.
hekeus@45 492 We carried out a pilot study with six participants, who were asked
hekeus@45 493 to use a simplified form of the user interface (a single controllable token,
hekeus@45 494 and no rhythmic, registral or timbral controls) under two conditions:
hekeus@45 495 one where a single sequence was sonified under user control, and another
hekeus@45 496 where an additional sequence was sonified in a different register, as if generated
hekeus@45 497 by a fixed invisible token in one of four regions of the triangle. In addition, subjects
hekeus@45 498 were asked to press a key if they `liked' what they were hearing.
hekeus@45 499
hekeus@45 500 After the study the participants were surveyed with the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index\cite{Mullensiefen:2011ts} to elicit their prior musical experience.
hekeus@45 501
hekeus@45 502 We recorded subjects' behaviour as well as points which they marked
hekeus@45 503 with a key press.
hekeus@50 504 Some results for three of the subjects are shown in \figrf{mtri-results}. Though
hekeus@45 505 we have not been able to detect any systematic across-subjects preference for any particular
hekeus@45 506 region of the triangle, subjects do seem to exhibit distinct kinds of exploratory behaviour.
hekeus@45 507 Our initial hypothesis, that subjects would linger longer in regions of the triangle
hekeus@45 508 that produced aesthetically preferable sequences, and that this would tend to be towards the
hekeus@45 509 centre line of the triangle for all subjects, was not confirmed. However, it is possible
hekeus@45 510 that the design of the experiment encouraged an initial exploration of the space (sometimes
hekeus@45 511 very systematic, as for subject c) aimed at \emph{understanding} %the parameter space and
hekeus@45 512 how the system works, rather than finding musical patterns. It is also possible that the
hekeus@45 513 system encourages users to create musically interesting output by \emph{moving the token},
hekeus@45 514 rather than finding a particular spot in the triangle which produces a musically interesting
hekeus@45 515 sequence by itself.
hekeus@45 516
hekeus@45 517 \begin{fig}{mtri-results}
hekeus@45 518 \def\scat#1{\colfig[0.42]{mtri/#1}}
hekeus@45 519 \def\subj#1{\scat{scat_dwells_subj_#1} & \scat{scat_marks_subj_#1}}
hekeus@45 520 \begin{tabular}{cc}
hekeus@45 521 % \subj{a} \\
samer@49 522 \subj{b} \\
hekeus@45 523 \subj{c} \\
hekeus@45 524 \subj{d}
hekeus@45 525 \end{tabular}
hekeus@45 526 \caption{Dwell times and mark positions from user trials with the
samer@49 527 on-screen Melody Triangle interface, for three subjects. The left-hand column shows
hekeus@45 528 the positions in a 2D information space (entropy rate vs multi-information rate
hekeus@45 529 in bits) where each spent their time; the area of each circle is proportional
hekeus@45 530 to the time spent there. The right-hand column shows point which subjects
hekeus@45 531 `liked'; the area of the circles here is proportional to the duration spent at
hekeus@45 532 that point before the point was marked.}
hekeus@45 533 \end{fig}
hekeus@45 534
hekeus@45 535 Comments collected from the subjects
hekeus@45 536 %during and after the experiment
hekeus@45 537 suggest that
hekeus@45 538 the information-dynamic characteristics of the patterns were readily apparent
hekeus@45 539 to most: several noticed the main organisation of the triangle,
hekeus@45 540 with repetitive notes at the top, cyclic patterns along one edge, and unpredictable
hekeus@45 541 notes towards the opposite corner. Some described their systematic exploration of the space.
hekeus@45 542 Two felt that the right side was `more controllable' than the left (a consequence
hekeus@45 543 of their ability to return to a particular distinctive pattern and recognise it
hekeus@45 544 as one heard previously). Two reported that they became bored towards the end,
hekeus@45 545 but another felt there wasn't enough time to `hear out' the patterns properly.
hekeus@45 546 One subject did not `enjoy' the patterns in the lower region, but another said the lower
hekeus@45 547 central regions were more `melodic' and `interesting'.
hekeus@45 548
hekeus@45 549 We plan to continue the trials with a slightly less restricted user interface in order
hekeus@45 550 make the experience more enjoyable and thereby give subjects longer to use the interface;
hekeus@45 551 this may allow them to get beyond the initial exploratory phase and give a clearer
hekeus@45 552 picture of their aesthetic preferences. In addition, we plan to conduct a
hekeus@45 553 study under more restrictive conditions, where subjects will have no control over the patterns
hekeus@45 554 other than to signal (a) which of two alternatives they prefer in a forced
hekeus@45 555 choice paradigm, and (b) when they are bored of listening to a given sequence.
hekeus@45 556
hekeus@45 557
hekeus@45 558
hekeus@45 559
hekeus@45 560
hekeus@45 561 \section{Further Work}
hekeus@50 562 %The Melody Triangle has so far only been used with first-order Markov chains for generating content. This mean that the melodies generated don't have any long term structure or form and hence don't seem to `go anywhere'. As such the system in its current form is better suited to creating textures and short phrases as oppose to composing over-arching musical structures.
hekeus@45 563
hekeus@45 564 We are currently investigating how higher-order Markov models can be mapped to information theoretic measures and adapting the Melody Triangle to those models. This would generate higher level patterns and provide more long-term structures. Further more sophisticated listener models\cite{Pearce:2005wr}\cite{Potter:2007tt} could be used for computing information measures for more conventional or ecologically valid music.
hekeus@50 565
hekeus@45 566 As it stands, the streams of symbols generated are only mapped to note values. However they could just as well be applied to any other musical property, such as intervals, chords, dynamics, timbres, structures and key changes. The possibilities for the Melody Triangle to be compositional guide in these other domains remains to be investigated.
hekeus@45 567
hekeus@51 568 We are investigating the possibility of turning the Melody Triangle into a mobile phone based music making application. It is hoped that by collecting usage statistics we may have a rich source of data that can help determine any relationship between the information dynamics measures and aesthetic preference.
hekeus@50 569 %The Melody Triangle in its current form however forms an ideal tool for investigations into musical preference and their relationship to the information dynamics models, and as such more detailed studies under wider experimental conditions and with more participants will be carried out.
hekeus@45 570 Although our initial data on aesthetic preference are inconclusive, there is still
hekeus@45 571 plenty of work to be done in this area: where-ever there are probabilistic models,
hekeus@45 572 information dynamics can shed light on their behaviour.
hekeus@45 573
hekeus@45 574 \section{acknowledgments}
hekeus@50 575 This work is supported by an EPSRC Doctoral Training Centre EP/G03723X/1 (HE), GR/S82213/01 and \\EP/E045235/1(SA), an EPSRC Leadership Fellowship, \\EP/G007144/1 (MDP) and EPSRC IDyOM2 EP/H013059/1. Thanks to Louie McCallum and Davie Smith from QMUL EECS for Kinect programming support.
hekeus@45 576
hekeus@45 577 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
hekeus@45 578 %bibliography here
samer@49 579 \bibliography{smc2012template,nime,all,c4dm}
hekeus@45 580
hekeus@45 581
hekeus@45 582
hekeus@45 583
hekeus@45 584 \end{document}