Clave-direction analysis: A new arena for educational and creative applications of music technology

Music Information Research abounds with work on the recognition of style, genre, composer and singer, and the detection of beat, tempo, metre and even emotion. However, some musical attributes remain unexplored. One of these, clave direction, is a rhythmic principle found throughout Latin American music. The purpose of this article is to introduce the significance and potential pedagogical role of automated clave-direction identification, to propose a system-level implementation and to suggest application areas that may benefit performers, educators, students and industry. Clave direction is an inherent feature of rhythmic patterns, not just of the standard sequences commonly associated with clave. Technological aids to composition, arranging, education, search and music production are needed for a growing population of musicians. Existing and developing methods of music technology can be used to fulfil this need. Target applications include rhythmtraining equipment, recording and sequencing software, auto-accompaniment and automated querying of databases or the Internet.