Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rdxmf Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-27T22:46:54.518Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

An aesthetic comparison of rule-based and genetic algorithms for generating melodies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 October 2004

ANDREW R. BROWN
ANDREW R. BROWN
Affiliation:
Queensland University of Technology, Victoria Park Road, Kelvin Grove 4059, Brisbane, Australia E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Various algorithmic techniques are available for generating music, many of which come from the field of artificial intelligence, which is rich with potential in this regard. However, the musical appropriateness of these techniques is less clearly understood. In this paper, I will report on a study that aimed to describe the characteristics of two of these techniques, rule-based and genetic algorithms, as they apply to melody generation. The appropriateness of these characteristics in contributing to well-formed melodies was judged by aesthetic criteria. The results indicate that most combinations of rules, mutations and evolutionary selection result in poor or average melodies, but that careful combination of these techniques can generate melodies that are not simply well-formed but in many cases display some elegance and novelty.

Type
Research Article
Information
Organised Sound , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , August 2004 , pp. 191 - 197
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2004

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)