2. 2
Outline
• Objectives
• Rhythm perception
• Meter
• Syncopation
• Syncopation as Transformation
• Main hypothesis
• A few examples
• Possible applications
• Music Software
• Rhythm Generation + Analysis
• Work + Plan
3. 3
Objectives
straight syncopated
• Model syncopation as a set of transformations
• Implement the transformations as a library of Max/MSP
externals
• Develop music software that will assist musicians in creatively
exploring syncopation
5. Syncopation and rhythm perception 5
Syncopation
Definition of the Harvard Dictionary of Music:
A momentary contradiction of the prevailing meter or pulse.
Memory METER Expectations
…it occurs when we least expect it!!!
6. Syncopation and rhythm perception 6
From Sound to Categories
Sound
Onsets
IOIs
s s s s L s s categories
musical notation
7. Syncopation and rhythm perception 7
Meter
Periodic Grouping
Hierarchical Structure of Pulses
8. Syncopation and rhythm perception 8
The beat and its subdivision
(Justin London – Hearing in Time)
~1800ms
Pulse Sensations
tactus
~600ms
Subdivisions
~250ms
~100ms
10. Syncopation and rhythm perception 10
Syncopation: “WHEN”… not expected
David Huron:
Syncopation never annihilates meter; pulse and meter are always preserved
11. Syncopation and rhythm perception 11
David Huron´s definition of Syncopation
A certain class of violation of expectation
An event in a weak position is not properly bound to an event in a strong position
expected syncopation
“feeling”
pattern X X
12. Syncopation and rhythm perception 12
My operational definition of Syncopation
A temporary mismatch of the phenomenal and metrical accents.
Non proper binding of weak to strong phenomenal accents
expected syncopation
“feeling”
pattern
13. Syncopation and rhythm perception 13
Syncopation measures
• Huron’s Lacunas (2006)
• Longuet-Higgins Lee (1984)
• Keith’s pattern matching (1991)
• Weighted note to beat Distance (2005)
14. Syncopation and rhythm perception 14
Syncopation measures
• Huron’s Lacunas
• Longuet-Higgins and Lee
• Keith’s pattern matching
• Weighted note to beat Distance
15. Syncopation and rhythm perception 15
Syncopation measures
• Huron’s Lacunas
• Longuet-Higgins and Lee
• Keith’s pattern matching
• Weighted note to beat Distance
Hesitation 1
Anticipation 2
Syncopation 3
16. Syncopation and rhythm perception 16
Syncopation measures
• Huron’s Lacunas
• Longuet-Higgins and Lee
• Keith’s pattern matching
• Weighted note to beat Distance
Hesitation 0.5
Anticipation 0.5
Syncopation 1.2
19. Syncopation as transformation 19
Basic Hypothesis
• Any syncopated rhythm can be de-syncopated using a certain
set of transformations that are reversible
• Conversely, we can create any syncopated rhythm starting
from a certain non-syncopating sequence and applying a
limited number of transformations
• Each syncopated sequence has a single non-syncopating
counterpart.
Any sequence has its ROOT
22. Syncopation as transformation 22
what is the difference from the previous?
A Shorter Displacement in time
ROOT
BUT… what happens at the metrical hierarchy?
…
23. Syncopation as transformation 23
Hypothesis + Question
Syncopation shifts the emphasis from the DOWN-beat to the UP-beat part of a pulse
ROOT
Is it relevant that the event belongs to an even slower level?
…
28. Syncopation as transformation 28
Views of the transformations
• Shifting of events and phenomenal accents
• Time stretching / shrinking
• Phase modulation
• Amplitude modulation
• De-syncopating: adaptively quantizing
29. Syncopation as transformation 29
Applications
• Musical applications:
• Generation of rhythms
• Analysis of musical passages
• Bridging the processes of generation and analysis
• Research:
• Research about syncopation
• Analysis and statistical processing of large number of musical passages
• Music cognition experiments about syncopation
• Listening experiments can be more musical
31. Software applications 31
Generation
Stochastic rhythm generator
controlled
ROOTS
transformations
probabilities + rules stochastically syncopated
generated patterns with
variation
The syncopation “knob”
root
user pattern Re-syncopated
32. Software applications 32
Analysis
• Get information about the syncopation in a music passage
• beyond the amount of syncopation: the “what” and “how”
• Automatic analysis and processing of whole corpora of
music
• Label events in a rhythmic sequence according to the
transformations they have undergone
Transform: Anticipated e
Original Metrical Level h
Transform: Anticipated s
Original Metrical Level q
33. Software applications 33
Generation and Analysis Bridged
• Syncopation ↔ ROOTS / Generation - Analysis
• Generate new music from existing music
• Create variations of existing music
• Use the analysis from one passage to transform another passage
• Control effectively other properties of a rhythmic sequence like the
density of events
35. Work plan 35
What needs to be done
• Formalize the transformations
• Evaluate them
• Define a complete set of transformations
• Create computer algorithms for each one of them
• Implement the algorithms as Max/MSP externals
• Build musical applications
36. Work plan 36
What has been done
• Preliminary Transformations of binary rhythms
• Are being used in Music Cognition experiments about “groove”
• Preliminary transformation externals
• Preliminary Max4Live devices
37. Work plan 37
How to continue
• Complete a set of transformations for Binary rhythms
• Include dynamic accents (or other phenomenal accents)
• Analyze music and use existing analyses to get “inspired”
• Evaluate the developed transformations against human
judgments through listening and taping experiments
• Mathematical proof
• Feedback from musicians about the music applications
