Can computers learn music theory?
Computers have transformed how we listen to, obtain, compose, and notate music, but they have not fundamentally changed how we research and analyze music. No available software can even identify underlying styles, let alone address more complex questions, such as what makes French music sound French. Pioneering Tools from music21 “Tools do not exist anywhere for analyzing musical genres. If I want to list all the chord forms ever used by Bach, I can’t do this,” says Assistant Professor Michael Cuthbert. Combining knowledge from musicology and computer programming, Cuthbert’s music21 project will equip computers with a basic understanding of music theory—making it possible to analyze more music than ever before. Analyzing Musical Genres “We’re so far behind that it frustrates researchers,” says Cuthbert, who launched the project in part to address his own need for a tool that could help him analyze medieval Italian music. Pilot applications have already helped him to find matches for ex
