Optimizing Chew and Chen's Pitch-Spelling Algorithm

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Meredith, David. 2007. Optimizing Chew and Chen's Pitch-Spelling Algorithm. Computer Music Journal, 31(2), pp. 54-72. ISSN 01489267 [Article]

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Official URL: http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/computer_music_journa...

Abstract or Description

Pitch-spelling algorithms attempt to compute the
correct pitch names (e.g., C#4, Bb5) of the notes in a
passage of tonal music, when given only the onset
time, MIDI note number, and possibly the duration
and voice of each note. This article reports on a
study in which Chew and Chen’s (2003a, 2003b,
2005) pitch-spelling algorithm was re-implemented
and then optimized by running it with a range of
different parameter value combinations on a test
corpus containing 195,972 notes and consisting of
216 movements from works by eight Baroque and
Classical composers. The results of this evaluation
cast doubt upon some of the claims made by Chew
and Chen that were based on results obtained by
running their algorithm on a much smaller test corpus
containing only 4,462 notes and consisting of
just two movements from sonatas by Beethoven and
You-Di Huang’s Song of Ali-Shan. The results presented
here suggest that Chew and Chen’s algorithm
could be simplified in various ways without
compromising its performance.