Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences Research Article ISSN 1112-9867 Special Issue Available online at http://www.jfas.info CALCULATION OF PITCH FOR THE IRANIAN TRADITIONAL MUSIC GENRE CLASSIFICATION STUDIED ON TWO STRINGED INSTRUMENTS THE TAR AND THE SETAR S. Firouzfar1,*, M. A. Layegh2 and S. Haghipour3 1Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Faculty of Information Technology 2Department of Electrical Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, West Azarbaijan Province, Iran 3Department Of Biomedical Engineering,Tabriz Branch,Islamic Azad University Published online: 15 February 2016 ABSTRACT Audio signal classification system analyzes the input audio signal and creates a label that describes the signal at the output. These are used to characterize both music and speech signals. The categorization can be done on the basis of pitch, music content, music tempo and rhythm. A musical sound is said to have four perceptual attributes: pitch, loudness, duration and timbre. These four attributes make it possible for a listener to distinguish musical sounds from each other. Pitch is a perceptual and subjective attribute of sound and plays an important role in the human understanding of sound. Although the pitch estimation of monophonic sound is well resolved, the polyphonic pitch estimation has been proved to be a very difficult task. Here, the main purpose is to calculate pitch for classification of The Radif of Mirzâ Ábdollâh which has been played by two famous stringed instruments the Tar and the Setar . Keywords: Pitch; Radif; Tmbre; Monophonic Author Correspondence, e-mail: [email protected] doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jfas.v8i2s.454 Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Libraries Resource Directory. We are listed under Research Associations category. S.Firouzfar et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 1986-2001 1987 1. INTRODUCTION Musical genre is an important description that can be used to classify and characterize music from different sources. For human beings, it is not difficult to classify music into different genres. Although letting computers understand and classify musical genre is a big challenge, there are still perceptual criteria related to the melody, tempo, texture, instrumentation and rhythmic structure that can be used to characterize and discriminate different musical genres.[1] Automatic musical genre classification can potentially automate the process of structuring music content and thus it can provide an important component for a complete music information retrieval system for audio signals. Furthermore, it provides a framework for developing and evaluating features for describing musical content .Such features can be used for similarity retrieval, classification segmentation and audio thum nailing and form the foundation of the most proposed audio analysis for music. In order to verify the discriminating abilities of each feature, researches have used different techniques such as cluster analysis, distance measures, entropy analysis and other related methods [2]. Audio samples have been selected from our novel database to extract the features. The database contains 250 gushe of the repertoire played separately by five most famous Iranian masters using two long-necked lutes tar and Setar. In other words, the database totally contains 1500 gushe. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 2.1. Persian traditional music The radif is the principal emblem and the heart of Persian music, a form of art as quintessentially Persian as that nation's fine carpet and exquisite miniature (Nettl, 1987). The radif indeed, is not only the musical masterpiece of Iranian genius, but also the artifact which distinguishes its music from all other forms (except the Azerbaijani tradition which has developed its own radif on the same basis).The radif is made up essentially of non-measured pieces («free rhythm») which provide a generative model or pattern for the creation of new compositions, mainly measured, as well as for free improvisation. The radif is a musical treasure of exceptional richness, the study of which can be approached from different angles S.Firouzfar et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 1986-2001 1988 such as theory, practice pedagogy and cultural sociology. In formal terms, it can be defined in the following way: «Radif (which means rank, random, series) actually signifies the order in which the gushe are played; this word also means the totality of the twelve âvâz [and dastgâh], as each is played by such and such a master. Thus, the same âvâz can have several radif, each composed or arranged by a different master. The name of radif is best used before the name of a master who arranged it, and sometimes composed junctions between the gushe .In broad terms, radif is a collection of pieces, generally non-measured, classified according to model affinities into 12 modal systems, and supposed to be played in a certain order. It is also a teaching model which permits one to learn: a) The repertoire of melodic types (gushe and certain almost fixed canonical pieces such as reng or certain gushe): b) The classification of modes and modulations, their structure, their typical features: c) The instrumental techniques, the classical style, the aesthetic principles, the implicit rules of composition and improvisation. [3] 2.2. Mirzâ Ábdollâh's radif Theoretically, the repertoire is divided into 12 modal systems (dastgâh and âvâz), but in practice Bayât-e Kord can be separated from Shur (like in Mirzâ Ábdollâh's radif), and shushtari can be separated from Homâyun giving us a possible 14 modal systems or even more. This classification into 12 modes could have been extended to 15 or 16 as well by detaching great gushe such as Mokhâlef-Segah, Shahnâz, Árâq or Hejâz.But the number 12 has a very strong symbolic connotation. It ought to be made clear that the number of gushe may lose their name when integrated with other gushe. This happens often in Mirzâ Ábdollâh's version like for instance in Esfahan, or Razavi or Shur. While drawing a short survey of the modal structures of the different dastgâh and âvâz, we shall draw some parallels with other versions. [3] 2.2.1.Dastgâh-e Shur Dastgah-shur is played in the following scale in which the fifth is variable. Mirzâ Ábdollâh's version given is quite complete; it does not display important changes of pitch but rather metabol or shifting of the tonic. One of the characteristics of the âvâz of Shur is that they S.Firouzfar et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 1986-2001 1989 always start in the high register and in the low, on the tonic G (or sometimes leading tone, F) of Shur. In this radif, the âvâz are always played on the upper octave of Shur, but nowadays, on the târ or setâr, they are often played a fourth below. (Shur on D). The melodic formation in Šur is conceived within the modal structure shown below for Šur D in Figure 1. Fig.1. Dastgâh-e Shur 2.2.1.1.Âvâz-e Abu Átâ Âvâz-e Abu Átâ is played on the scale of Shur (with a natural fifth), fourth being polarized as can be seen in Figure 1a. It is introduced hereby the gushe Râmkeli preceding the darâmad, which can also be performed at the end of Abu Átâ. The gushe Gilaki is generally incorporated into Dashti rather than Abu Átâ the second part (Hejâz and Gilaki) on the fifth. Fig.1.a. Âvâz-e Abu Áta 2.2.1.2. Âvâz-e Bayât-e Tork Avaz-e Bayat-e Tork uses the same scale but polarizing the third Bb as can be seen in Figure 1b . The gushe Qatâr and Qarâ'i, played here lend themselves equally well to Bayât-e Tork. The version below carries a number of gushe belonging to Mâhur (Feyli, Khosravani, Shekaste), which are not found in Hoseyn-Goli's radif. The name Bayât is probably a reference to the ancient mode Bayât which is very common in the Turkish and Arabic world and is similar to Shur, with a perfect fifth. Fig.1.b. Âvâz-e Bayât-e Tork S.Firouzfar et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 1986-2001 1990 2.2.1.3.Âvâz-e Afshâri Avaz-e Afshari follows the scale of Shur with a variable fifth this version is very short if compared with Hoseyn-Qoli's and especially Ma'rufi's, but it is possible to extend it with gushe borrowed from other dastgâh, such as Mâhur and Navâ.The scale of Avaz-e Afshari is shown in Figure 1c as the following: Fig.1.c.Âvâz-e Afshâri 2.2.1.4..Âvâz-e Dashti Avaz-e Dashti follows the same scale but centered on the variable fifth. Here too it is reduced to a small number of gushe. The scale of Avaz-e Dashti is shown in Figure 1d as the following: Fig.1.d.Âvâz-e Dashti 2.2.1.5. Âvâz-e Bayât-e Kord Avaz-e Bayat- e Kord is often incorporated with Shur. The following version is very close to the one of Hâji Aqâ Mohammad Irâni with whom Borumand studied. The scale of Avaz-e Bayât-e Kord is shown in Figure 1e as the following: Fig.1.e.Âvâz-e Bayât-e Kord 2.2.2. Dastgâh-e Segâh Dastgah-e- Segah can be completed by the great gushe Hesâr borrowed from Chahârgâh, with an adaption of the basic scale; G, A, Bp (tonic), C, D. Most of the gushe of Segâh are also S.Firouzfar et al. J Fundam Appl Sci. 2016, 8(2S), 1986-2001 1991 found in Chahârgâh and are probably borrowed from that mode. Nowadays, the gushe Rohâb, Masihi ,Takht-e Tâgdis and Shâh Khatâ'i are rarely performed.