Idiomatic guitar synthesis

<jats:p>The aim of this research is to add intelligence to the interface between systems for computer-aided composition and synthesizers. In this paper we introduce a system that is able to play guitar music on a synthesized guitar idiomatically. There are a great number of sound synthesis techniques and computer-aided composition systems available. However, there is a general lack of intelligent interfacing between these two types of systems. For example, when one auditions the different parts of an orchestral piece, the software treats these materials identically; that is, the violin part is not played violinistically or the clarinet part clarinetistically. Musicians tend to blame the synthesizers for such poor performance quality, but if the synthesizer was controlled idiomatically the sound synthesis technique itself would be just one of the design aspects to be considered in such systems, and not the single one. Our idiomatic guitar player system includes knowledge about the biophysical constraints of the performer, the performance characteristics associated with different musical styles, and the performance styles of different individuals. [Research sponsored by CAPES Ministry of Education of Brazil.]</jats:p>