Computer-Human Interaction in Music Composition Through Petri Nets

Abstract

Petri nets are a well-known mathematical formalism usually applied to the fields of information representation and manipulation. Scientific literature has demonstrated their applicability to the field of music analysis, thanks to the possibility to achieve a clear description of music processes and transformations, to obtain easy-to-understand graphical representation, and to use formal tools for net analysis. More remarkably, the adoption of Petri nets can foster also music creation, above all for compositions based on the transformation of music objects. Nevertheless, there is a gap between the way a music piece is typically conceived and the way it can be described in terms of Petri nets, or another equivalent formal tools. The goal of the present work is to demonstrate how digital approaches rooted in computer-human interaction can bridge such a gap, thus fostering both creativity and analytical activities in music composition processes.