Music composition system with human evaluation as human centered system

Abstract This paper presents an interactive music composition system as one example of human centered systems that are defined as subjective systems in which human judgement, evaluation, recognition and emotion play central roles. The present music composition system reflects user's evaluation of music and employs Interactive Genetic Algorithm. One musical work is assumed to be expressed by one chromosome containing information on a melody part and backing parts through 4 bars. The composition procedures are as follows. (1) Two hundred chromosomes are generated based on general music theory. (2) A user listens to 20 musical works chosen from 200 works and performs three types of evaluations such as total evaluation, partial evaluation, and the choice of the best work. (3) The system performs the GA operations to 200 chromosomes reflecting these evaluations. Procedures (2) and (3) are repeated until a musical work reflecting user's evaluation is obtained. From the results of the evaluation experiments to confirm the validity of the system, it is found that the present system composes music reflecting user's evaluation well and is one example of human centered systems.