Query by Melody Input Music Search Engines .
The concept
"Name that tune" is a popular forum question (apart form also being a game show). Forum members are asking other members to help in finding the title or artist of a song. In most cases that song is described by part of its lyrics or other information. In other cases an audio file or a video of the wanted song is provided. "Melody finding" is useful for such cases. Apart from "name that tune" and "melody finding" other names used are melody search", "melody retrieval", "regcognize melody", "identify melody", "find tune by melody", "find song by melody" etc.
This concept of "melody finding" with "melody finders" is often confused with "Music search", "song search" or "tune search", the more generally used search for music. "Music earch engines" are based upon text search only. The user enters a (part of a) title, the name of an artist in order to find the tune that contains that phrase in its related information. In a similar way "Lyric search engines" are used to find a song by entering part of the song text and "MIDI search engines" to find a MIDI audio file with the entered text phrase in its title. Some "Melody finders" , although primarily designed to search for melodies, also have an option for text search.
The interface
Melody finders differ in their interfaces, that is in the way users have to enter the input query of a melody. This can be done by:
1. singing, whistling of humming the melody into a microphone connected to the PC
2. playng the melody on an a virtual piano keyboard
3. typing text of notes or codes.
Notes are described in different forms, although usually as C, C#, D, D#, E etc.
For codes usually the Parsons Code is used. It desdcribes the consecutive notes of a melody as a series of "going higher / going lower / the note is repeated" by using the codes u = Up, d = Down or r = repeat.
4. tapping the rhythm of the melody on the keyboard of the PC
5. pointing a mobile at the music to record it, followed by phoning a service to receive the title.
For most users (1) singing, whistling of humming a melody will be easier than (2) playing it on a pianokeyboard.
On the other hand (1) is likely to cause more input errors than (2)
(3) Codes and certainly note discriptions are mainly if not only useful for musically trained users.
(4) Tapping rhythm will be easy for most users, but is providing more limited information.
On line Melody Finders
Currently (october 2009) there are at least 17 melody finders available on line. Below they are classified according to their interface. Some systems use more interfaces and one system even four different ones.
1. Singing, whistling of humming
· Musicline.de (Melodiesuche)
· Midomi
· Musipedia
· Name My Tune: (users recognizing song input of other users)
· Sloud:
· Tunebot music search
2. Piano keyboard
· C-Brahms Retrieval Engine for Melody Searching
· Folk Tune Finder (demo)
· MelodyCacther
· Musipedia
· New Zealand Digital Library (Meldex
· Tunebot music search
3 Text like Notes or codes.
· DoDoSoSo (notes)
· JC's ABC Tune Finder (ABC notation)
· Musipedia: (both notes and codes)
· SID theme search engine: (notes)
· Themefinder: (both notes and codes)
· Tunespotting: (notes and Keyboard PC)
· Parfait Olé: (notes)
4 Tapping Rhythm
· Musipedia
· Songtapper
5 Mobile recording
· Shazam
Matching system and Accuracy
The database
Results of almost all systems are based upon the systems own database. Most of these databases contain less than 20.00 melodies. The database of Name My Tunes only contains input sung by other users.
Larger database are those of Folk Tune Finder, MelodyCacther, Midomi and Musipedia. Some databases are mainly or only focused on Classical Music like C-Brahms Retrieval Engine, Parfet Olé and the large database of Themefinder. The Folk tune finder is meant for Follk music only.
Two systems also search the Web: Musipedia and MelodyCatcher although the latter with more accurate results. Since the results of the MelodyCatcer show MIDI files and links to their sources, this melody finder can also be used for MIDI search by melody input. The system also has an option for text search.
if you know the melody of shaggy then you know the melody of balnk space
the definition of melody is a rhythm or something like a beat. :) No, that's Rhythm, melody is the tune of a piece of music.
Melody, tune, or possibly poem.
A song is with words and a tune melody doesn`t have any words at all
it will guide you to a right tune,timing and melody
Another name for Melody is Tune.
A song is with words and a tune melody doesn`t have any words at all
Melody means a harmonious tune, music
if you know the melody of shaggy then you know the melody of balnk space
Melody
Melody is the principle part of any tune, or air.
The melody
Tune? Melody? Jam?
Melody
the definition of melody is a rhythm or something like a beat. :) No, that's Rhythm, melody is the tune of a piece of music.
A melody is a tune, voice, or repetitive line which tends to be a combination of pitch and rhythm. A main melody is the most used or strongest sounding melody in the song.
Harmony