Cognitive music modelling: An information dynamics approach

We describe an information-theoretic approach to the analysis of music and other sequential data, which emphasises the predictive aspects of perception, and the dynamic process of forming and modifying expectations about an unfolding stream of data, characterising these using the tools of information theory: entropies, mutual informations, and related quantities. After reviewing the theoretical foundations, we discuss a few emerging areas of application, including musicological analysis, real-time beat-tracking analysis, and the generation of musical materials as a cognitively-informed compositional aid.