Altered EEG Oscillatory Brain Networks During Music-Listening in Major Depression

To examine the electrophysiological underpinnings of the functional networks involved in music listening, previous approaches based on spatial independent component analysis (ICA) have recently been used to ongoing electroencephalography (EEG) and magnetoencephalography (MEG). However, those studies focused on healthy subjects, and failed to examine the group-level comparisons during music listening. Here, we combined group-level spatial Fourier ICA with acoustic feature extraction, to enable group comparisons in frequency-specific brain networks of musical feature processing. It was then applied to healthy subjects and subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD). The music-induced oscillatory brain patterns were determined by permutation correlation analysis between individual time courses of Fourier-ICA components and musical features. We found that (1) three components, including a beta sensorimotor network, a beta auditory network and an alpha medial visual network, were involved in music processing among most healthy subjects; and that (2) one alpha lateral component located in the left angular gyrus was engaged in music perception in most individuals with MDD. The proposed method allowed the statistical group comparison, and we found that: (1) the alpha lateral component was activated more strongly in healthy subjects than in the MDD individuals, and that (2) the derived frequency-dependent networks of musical feature processing seemed to be altered in MDD participants compared to healthy subjects. The proposed pipeline appears to be valuable for studying disrupted brain oscillations in psychiatric disorders during naturalistic paradigms.

Fashion Image Classification and Make-up Design in Kill this Love from BLACKPINK

This work aims to study actual cases of idol girl groups’ fashion styling by examining fashion image types, make-up designs, and hair styles of ‘BLACKPINK’ shown in music video image screen of ‘Kill this Love’. As a result of studying make-ups and fashion images in ‘Kill this Love’, the musical feature of BLACKPINK is ‘electronic’ but costumes in music video show a variety of styles such as ‘retro, mannish, military, punk, and ethnic’ styles avoiding typical hip-hop style. Their make-ups also show various make-up design features using the elements of ‘color, shape, and texture. In particular, individual and strong images are delivered effectively through bold variations (thickness, length, and direction of eyeliner, and slanted eyes’ shape) avoiding typicality of gel & liquid eyeliners. Also, by performing the changes of false eyelashes and hair colors actively, kitschy elements are expressed. In addition, it is indicated that rather than conceptualization of uniformed fashion styling for all members in one music, each member has own and differentiated fashion style, make-up, and hair style according to each voice color and each role in their music.

Sensory Dissonance feature extraction: a case study

An audio feature can become relevant as a musical feature. This paper focuses on the “Sensory Dissonance” audio feature and its use as a musical parameter useful to analyze and compose music of all genres. It is possible by developing a software tool able to detect the presence of dissonance understood as Sensory Dissonance, to quantify the dissonance and then to draw a graphic function of the traced dissonance. This function is placed under the sound which it relates, while the music signal may be written according to the western notation system. The obtained curve does not only provide information concerning the degree of dissonance: it also allows a deeper reading of the entire analyzed musical work.

Exploring Frequency-dependent Brain Networks from ongoing EEG using Spatial ICA during music listening

Recently, exploring brain activity based on functional networks during naturalistic stimuli especially music and video represents an attractive challenge because of the low signal-to-noise ratio in collected brain data. Although most efforts focusing on exploring the listening brain have been made through functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), sensor-level electro- or magnetoencephalography (EEG/MEG) technique, little is known about how neural rhythms are involved in the brain network activity under naturalistic stimuli. This study exploited cortical oscillations through analysis of ongoing EEG and musical feature during free-listening to music. We used a data-driven method that combined music information retrieval with spatial Independent Components Analysis (ICA) to probe the interplay between the spatial profiles and the spectral patterns. We projected the sensor data into cortical space using a minimum-norm estimate and applied the Short Time Fourier Transform (STFT) to obtain frequency information. Then, spatial ICA was made to extract spatial-spectral-temporal information of brain activity in source space and five long-term musical features were computationally extracted from the naturalistic stimuli. The spatial profiles of the components whose temporal courses were significantly correlated with musical feature time series were clustered to identify reproducible brain networks across the participants. Using the proposed approach, we found brain networks of musical feature processing are frequency-dependent and three plausible frequency-dependent networks were identified; the proposed method seems valuable for characterizing the large-scale frequency-dependent brain activity engaged in musical feature processing.

Commentary on Comparing Timeline Rhythms in Pygmy and Bushmen Music by Adrian Poole

In his fascinating paper, "Comparing Timeline Rhythms in Pygmy and Bushmen Music," Adrian Poole offers a new perspective on an old debate regarding the historical significance of the many apparent affinities between African Bushmen and Pygmy music by focusing on "the analysis of one central musical feature that has received little attention in the literature: timeline rhythms." What makes this topic particularly intriguing is the way in which such rhythmic patterns lend themselves to mathematical analysis, a property which enables Poole to produce a very interesting phylogenetic tree from a simple algorithm. His thorough comparative study of these very distinctive rhythms, as found among African hunters isolated for thousands of years in remote regions of that continent with little likelihood of mutual influence, represents a significant contribution to our understanding of certain basic principles underlying both African and African-American rhythms, with additional insights relating to the "deep history" of the timeline on that continent and beyond.

A Survey on Musical Feature Extraction and Classification Methods

Identifying musical instrument is challenging task because of its multidimensional nature. Every particular instruments have its own characteristics and physical features like energy feature, rhythm feature, temporal feature, spectrum feature, harmony feature etc. In this paper toolboxes that are all publically available for extracting these features. & the perception of valance and arousal has been also discussed. This paper offers an overview of the set of upper features. Particular attention has been paid to design of a syntax that offers both simplicity of use & transparent addictiveness to a multiplicity of possible input also the same syntax can be used for analysis of signal audio files, batch files, series of audio segments multi banned signals. Also we have studied about the preprocessing and automatic speech recognition the preprocessing is done and voice speech is detected based on energy and zero crossing rates.

Landscape Planning and Design of Large City Square Musical Fountain Based on the Recognition of Music Features

In all kinds of modern fountains, music fountain can integrate human's sense of vision and hearing in real time, and plan the perfect environmental art effect in the urban planning landscape. Based on this, the theory of musical feature recognition was proposed, and the forms of the fountain and the main points of the layout and layouts under different environments were analyzed; based on the above methods, the Dallas fountain square was analyzed comprehensively, including the design background, design features and the main points of landscape planning. The results show that Dallas fountain plaza can be regarded as one of the representative works of structuralism architectural style, and it can provide a classic case of learning structuralism for future generations.

Structural Segmentation of Toru Takemitsu’s Piece, Itinerant, by Advanced Level Music Graduate Students

This work attempts to study the way higher music graduate students segment a contemporary music work, Itinerant, and to understand the influence of musical feature on segmentation. It attempts to test the theory stating that saliences contribute to organising the music surface. The 42 students listened to the work several times and, in real time, they were requested to indicate the places on the score where they perceived structural boundaries. This work is characterised by its linearity, which could hinder identification of saliences and thereby, the establishment of structural boundaries. The participants show stability in the points of segmentation chosen. The results show significant coincidences among the participants in strategic places of the work, which leads us to conclude, in line with other researches, although in a work with different characteristics, that listeners can find a structural organisation in contemporary music that could allow them to understand it.