The use of computers in music research -- emphasizing the processing of musical information using the Humdrum Toolkit.
This 5-credit hour [1] course will be of interest to students wishing to develop or enhance their research skills in music. The course is suitable for students interested in any area of systematic music research -- including historical research, music analysis, ethnomusicology, music education, and music perception and cognition. The course may also be of interest to students in linguistics, dance, psychology and library or information sciences.
The emphasis in this course is on developing practical expertise in using computers for music research. The course focuses predominantly on the Humdrum Toolkit. Humdrum provides tools for extracting, transforming, linking, classifying, contextualizing, comparing, and analysing music-related information. Data might be musical scores, piano fingerings, lute tablatures, phonetic representations of lyrics, ethnomusicological symbols, psychological measures, dance notations (such as Laban or Benesh), or user-defined information. The Humdrum pattern recognition and similarity tools will also be covered.
In addition, the course will briefly introduce other research-related software, principally MIDI-related software for sequencing and data-collection. Note that roughly 90% of the course will focus on the Humdrum Toolkit.
The course has no formal pre-requisites. Some prior experience with computers is essential. Some knowledge of the UNIX operating system is an asset, but not a requirement for this course. Students with some previous programming experience will find the course easier.
The class will meet three days per week. Classes have a duration of 48 minutes. Classes are held in Hughes Hall Rm 111 on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus, Ohio.
The registration call number for the Fall 2004 offering of this course is 20274-2.
The course objectives include the following:
- to expose students to computer-based scripting tools for pursuing music research
- to alert students to research opportunities provided by existing computer-based resources
- to develop students' practical research skills
- to stimulate students' research interests and creative thinking
- to encourage research activities and conversation about research methods.
The course objectives are pursued through weekly readings and assignments, lecture/demonstrations, and extensive computer interaction.
Huron, D. Music Research Using Humdrum: A User's Guide. Stanford, CA: Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities, 1999; 414pp.
The workload for Music 824 entails three hours of lecture/demonstrations each week, plus approximately seven hours of additional work per week. Out-of-class workload consists of roughly three hours of reading (roughly 35 pages) plus four hours of computer interaction per week.
The final course grade will be based on the following:
Weekly Assignments (6 × 10%) 60% Essay Assignment 15% Final test 25% The purpose of the weekly assignments is to help student develop practical skills and facility in computer-based research scripting. The questions in the assignments cover a wide variety of concrete tasks. The purpose the essay assignment is to encourage students to develop ideas about possible research projects. The purpose of the final test is to ensure that students consolidate their skills.
Given the potential for disparate backgrounds, students' prior background is a factor in evaluation.
Dr. David Huron
Mershon Auditorium, Room 502
Telephone: (614) 688-4753 (Wk.) (614) 487-8502 (Hm.)
E-mail: hüron.1@osü.edü [Ignore the umlauts; they are present to foil web crawlers.]
[1] Music 824 can also be arranged as a 3 credit-hour reading course. In this case, no final test will be required.Students are encouraged to arrange to discuss any aspect of their course work. No appointments are necessary, however meeting times can be assured by telephoning Prof. Huron to make an appointment. If you are unable to reach the instructor by telephone, remember to leave a message giving your name and telephone number.