Violin Fingering Estimation Based on Violin Pedagogical Fingering Model Constrained by Bowed Sequence Estimation from Audio Input Akira Maezawa, Katsutoshi Itoyama, Toru Takahashi, Kazunori Komatani, Tetsuya Ogata, and Hiroshi G. Okuno Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto University Yoshida Honmachi, Kyoto, Japan Abstract. This work presents an automated violin fingering estima- tion method that facilitates a student violinist acquire the “sound” of his/her favorite recording artist created by the artist’s unique fingering. Our method realizes this by analyzing an audio recording played by the artist, and recuperating the most playable fingering that recreates the aural characteristics of the recording. Recovering the aural characteris- tics requires the bowed string estimation of an audio recording, and using the estimated result for optimal fingering decision . The former requires high accuracy and robustness against the use of different violins or brand of strings; and the latter needs to create a natural fingering for the vi- olinist. We solve the first problem by detecting estimation errors using rule-based algorithms, and by adapting the estimator to the recording based on mean normalization. We solve the second problem by incorpo- rating, in addition to generic stringed-instrument model used in existing studies, a fingering model that is based on pedagogical practices of violin playing, defined on a sequence of two or three notes. The accuracy of the bowed string estimator improved by 21 points in a realistic situation (38% → 59%) by incorporating error correction and mean normalization. Subjective evaluation of the optimal fingering decision algorithm by seven violinists on 22 musical excerpts showed that compared to the model used in existing studies, our proposed model was preferred over existing one (p =0.01), but no significant preference towards proposed method defined on sequence of two notes versus three notes was observed (p =0.05). 1 Introduction Fingering 1 is an important aspect of violin expression, as the choice of the bowed string affects the sonority. For example, the highest-tuned string sounds brilliant, and the lowest-tuned string sounds strong. Such variation in timbral quality offers a violinist an artistic choice of playing a high-pitched note on the higher- tuned or lower-tuned string, depending on the violinist’s inclination towards 1 The art of deciding one of four fingers that presses on one of four differently tuned strings (bowed string ) to play a note. N. Garc´ ıa-Pedrajas et al. (Eds.): IEA/AIE 2010, Part III, LNAI 6098, pp. 249–259, 2010. c  Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010