Parsons code
The Parsons code encodes the relative height changes of a melody using a simple sequence of letters .
The following characters are used:
-
*- first note for reference -
d("Down") - pitch drops -
u("Up") - pitch rises -
r("Repeat") - pitch remains the same
Example: The melody of all my ducks enrolled in this code like this: *uuuururrrdurrrddrrrdrdrrrd.
The asterisk at the beginning is very important as a reference tone. The code is well suited to identify works through melody excerpts. For this purpose he finds u. a. used in the Musipedia database .
The Parsons code ignores characteristics such as rhythm or precise note intervals. The Parsons code of the query melody must be compared with all codes in the database. The editing distance is used for matching . Since it is not known at which point the melody fragment occurs, substring matching must be carried out.
The code was invented by Denys Parsons , who first introduced it in his book Directory of Tunes and Musical Themes , publisher: George Spencer-Brown , 1975, ISBN 3-890-94370-5 .