The modular program Interactive Music Analysis Tool (I-MaT) produces visualizations and statistical analyses of sheet music files. The basic idea is to choose between the various menu options listed by entering corresponding index numbers (1, 2, 3 etc.). The music21/MidiTok commands on which the program is based are not visible to the user.
Results can be achieved quickly by navigating through simple dialog windows and the selection from the options displayed. The results (visualizations, diagrams, transformed sheet music files, CSV files) can be displayed within I-MaT as well as exported in order to be opened in external programs (MuseScore, PSPP/SPSS), in which they can then be further processed.
Programm code: Sebastian Oliver Eck
I-MaT is an innovative tool designed to facilitate in-depth musical analysis through an easy-to-use interface. I-MaT offers a comprehensive set of functionalities allowing for the examination of musical pieces from a wide range of perspectives. The documentation (available on readthedocs.io) serves as a comprehensive guide, aiming to provide you with insights into I-MaT's functionalities and its modular concept, and assist both first-time users and experienced researchers in using the tool effectively.
The sections contained within the documentation provide detailed information on how to use the Interactive Music Analysis Tool, from downloading and the installation, to contribution and code extension, to its application in music analysis. Furthermore, you will find a detailed descriptions of I-MaT's source code, explaining the different packages' and modules' content that make up the tool.
This documentation provides you with the necessary knowledge to navigate I-MaT, explore its features, and conduct your own analyses by using the tool!
First, please, open the Command Prompt/Terminal in Windows/Mac by executing the following steps:
Windows
There are several ways to access the Command Prompt in Windows, here's one:
Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.cmd and then press Enter. This will open the Command Prompt window.macOS
There are several ways to access the Terminal in macOS, here are two:
Finder.Applications folder, then go to Utilities.Terminal to open it.Alternatively:
Command + Space to bring up Spotlight,terminal, and hit Enter.Second, please, install the Interactive Music Analysis Tool (I-MaT). Do this by typing the following line into the Command Prompt/Terminal window:
pip install imat
Note: The installation is necessary only once. After successfully installing I-MaT, start the tool by following the steps below.
MuseScore Installation:
Attention: Users who want to use all functions of I-MaT must necessarily install a notation program, such as the free program MuseScore.
The installation of MuseScore is free of charge and is therefore strongly recommended. MuseScore can be directly downloaded from https://musescore.org/en.
To run the tool, simply type the following command into your Command Prompt/Terminal window:
imat
After starting I-MaT, the following menu will be displayed within your console:
I-MaT - Interactive Music Analysis Tool, v3.2.1, (2023). Project: "Computer-Assisted Music Analysis" Department of Musicology Weimar-Jena, University of Music Franz Liszt Weimar, Germany MIT License, Copyright (c) 2023 S.O. Eck. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- LOCATION: Start Menu Please make a selection from the options below by entering the entry index number: No. Menu item <Explanation> 1 PROG: Analysis of one sheet music file <Analysis of a single piece of music> 2 CONV: Conversion of multiple music files <Conversion of multiple music files within one folder> 3 TOKE: Tokenisation of multiple music files <Tokenisation of multiple music files within one folder> 4 CONF: Update Software Paths and Preferences <Update or redefine paths to essential software and user preferences> Which menu item should be executed? (<No. of menu item>):
Figure 1: The Interactive Music Analysis Tool (I-MaT) - Start Menu (version 3.2.1)
Using the program is relatively straight-forward - the program's text-based command line interface (CLI) allows you to choose from a list of menu entries by entering the corresponding entry index number (s. Figure 1). All further steps are self-explanatory. Enjoy!
Warning: When starting I-MaT for the first time, in the most cases you have to configure the music21 settings so that you can download music files from the Internet as well as display music files within a music editor (i.e., MuseScore).
You will be guided through this entire process by I-MaT.
4 CONF: Update Software Paths and Preferences
The settings can later be adjusted by choosing the menu entries shown above within I-MaT's start menu.
If all of the above was too fast, don't worry!
You can find a detailed User Guide for how to install and start I-MaT in the Online Documentation's Getting Started with I-MaT section.
If you have any difficulties with using the program or if you have any questions or suggestions on how to further improve I-MaT's functionalities, please contact the author, Sebastian Oliver Eck (imat.inquiries@gmail.com).
Addressing the steep learning curve often encountered with Python-based music analysis tools like Music21 or CAMAT, the Interactive Music Analysis Tool (I-MaT) was designed specifically with user accessibility in mind. I-MaT utilizes a new and innovative approach to access, work with and implement various python libraries, such as, but not limited to, music21 or MidiTok for textual music analysis, within one unified, user friendly text-based command-line-interface (CLI).
I-MaT allows users to quickly obtain results by navigating through simple dynamic menu structures and selecting methods and tools from predefined options (see Figure 1). The tool uses an accessible and easily extendable text-based CLI, with the underlying Music21 and MidiTok commands remaining invisible to the user. While requiring minimal familiarity with command-line environments, the preference for a CLI over a GUI offers a compromise between user-friendliness and easy code extendibility.
This compromise was necessary to keep the barrier to entry as low as possible, and to encourage a broad usage and user-based participation in the tool's ongoing development via GitHub. To further increase accessibility, I-MaT was distributed via Pypi.org, allowing for an easy installation via integrated package-management systems such as the commonly used python pip installer. I-MaT’s source code is complemented by an extensive online documentation that offers guidance to both users as well as contributors.
While virtually encompassing all the functionalities of the integrated python packages for music information retrieval/tokenization, i.e., music21/MidiTok, I-MaTs functionalities are currently limited to a representative, yet well-tested set of statistical analysis, export, visualization, transformation and musical data tokenization tools.
With all those benefits at hand, I-MaT is a very flexible and powerful tool that could cater to the needs of a diverse range of users, from novice music analysts to advanced researchers.
In addition to its analytical capabilities, I-MaT serves as an effective didactic tool, further bridging the gap between musicology and the broader field of computer-assisted analysis and Music Information Retrieval (MIR).
I-MaT’s various functionalities could provide valuable support for music and musicology courses at both high school and university levels. Its user-friendly interface and simple installation make it an ideal tool for students to quickly obtain results and explore various analytical approaches using computational methods, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the musical works they are studying.
Furthermore, I-MaT’s modular design opens possibilities for launching educational projects centered around musicological programming, with the added advantage of seamlessly integrating their outcomes and functions into I-MaT through collaborative platforms like GitHub.
By using I-MaT, students can develop valuable analytical skills that are useful not only in musicology but also in other areas of the humanities where data-driven methods are becoming increasingly important.
The Interactive Music Analysis Tool, I-MaT, should be seen as a contribution to Computational Musicology or Digital Musicology within the Digital Humanities.
JADH2023: 12th annual conference of the Japanese Association for Digital Humanities (JADH),
“Possibilities for Data-Driven Humanities”, National Institute of Japanese Literature (online), 20.9. - 22.9. 2023,
Presentation of Sebastian Oliver Eck: Interactive Music Analysis Tool (I-MaT)
Online-Dokumentation (readthedocs.io): https://i-mat.readthedocs.io/en/latest/
GitHub Repository: https://github.com/sebastian-eck/I-MaT
PyPi Repository: https://pypi.org/project/imat/