I swear this isn't a plug, but I tried out a certain iPhone app, which when activated listens to whatever music is going on for about 10 seconds and then communicates with a remote database of song data and finds what Song, Artist, and Album you are listening too. I'm not sure how exactly the software works, but my idea is to take whatever search algorithm it is using and run it continuously against a new song (one that shouldn't be in the database such as something a songwriter has just recorded). The algorithm would then output what percentage of the test clips were matched against known songs, and how many times it matched the same song. The young artist who's dreams of originality and genius acclaim as a composer have just been shattered by the 89% correspondence of their masterpiece to a well known pop song can then be left to either go into a blazing tailspin of depression or to reconcile that maybe their song will be recognizable enough to the masses to actually be marketable and keep his haggard fingers crossed for eventual radio play and stardom.
-- gomer, Aug 01 2008

TUNEdb http://tunedb.woode...arch_ABC_logic.html
It can define a tune based only on whether the notes increase or decrease in pitch. But this one's only for "traditional music". [Amos Kito, Aug 01 2008]

Maybe it could have an "inspiration" option which would play a piece of music that *doesn't* exist yet (well - isn't in the database, at any rate). That way the budding composer has a head start in the originality department.
-- vladv, Aug 01 2008



random, halfbakery