We use our introduced algorithm for parsing melodic structure (Kanani et al., 2023). Unlike much Western music, this type of non-metric music does not follow bar-centric organisation. The non-metric organisation can be captured well by our parsing algorithm. We parse each tune (Gusheh) into a grammar to identify motifs and phrases, and evaluate the grammars to demonstrate the algorithm’s effectiveness. These grammar representations can be useful for educational and ethnomusicological purposes.
We also further develop a previously-introduced method of creating melodic variations (Kanani et al., 2023). After parsing an existing tune to produce a grammar, by applying mutations to this grammar, we generate a new grammar. Expanding this new version yields a variation of the original tune. Variations are assessed by a domain-expert listener. Additionally, we conduct a statistical analysis of mutation with different representation setups. The overarching conclusion indicates that the system successfully produces quality variations post-mutation. While our case study focuses on Iranian classical music, the methodology can be adapted for Arabic or Turkish classical music.
[1] Grammatical Structure and Grammatical Variations in Non-Metric Iranian Classical Music. (n.d.). AIMC 2024 (09/09 - 11/09 ). Retrieved from https://aimc2024.pubpub.org/pub/zwn5frts