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====== Computer Vision Methods for Guitarist Left-Hand Fingering Recognition ======

{{template>projects:collaborations:summary
|title=Computer Vision Methods for Guitarist Left-Hand Fingering Recognition|
|participants=[[people:Anne-Marie Burns]]\\
 [[people:Marcelo M. Wanderley]] (supervisor)|
|participants2=|
|collaborators=Barbara Mazzarino (InfoMus Laboratory, Genoa, Italy)\\
 Gualtiero Volpe (InfoMus Laboratory, Genoa, Italy)\\
 Antonio Camurri (InfoMus Laboratory, Genoa, Italy)|
|collaborators2=|
|funding= Quebec government (Programme de bourses pour de courts séjours d'études universitaires à l'extérieur du Québec)\\
 Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU 6th FP IST ENACTIVE Network of Excellence (1st internship at InfoMus, Genoa, 2004)\\
 Cost287-ConGAS (2nd internship at InfoMus, Genoa, 2007)\\
 NSERC Discovery Grant (M. Wanderley) (Research assistant)\\
 McGill University Alma Mater Student Travel Grant 2005, 2006|
|type=Master's thesis (M.A. in Music Technology)|
|period=Sept. 2003--Aug. 2006.|
|status=Completed.|
|image=projects:guitar_fingering:algocht.png
|caption=Finger-tracking Algorithm.
}}

===== Project Description: =====

This project is about the development of an automated method to visually detect and recognize fingering gestures of the left hand of a guitarist. The choice of computer vision to perform that task is motivated by the absence of a satisfying method for realtime guitarist fingering detection. The development of this computer vision method follows preliminary manual and automated analyses of video recordings of a guitarist. These first analyses led to some important findings about the design methodology of such a system, namely the focus on the effective gesture, the consideration of the action of each individual finger, and a recognition system not relying on comparison against a knowledge-base of previously learned fingering positions. Motivated by these results, studies on three important aspects of a complete fingering system were conducted. One study was on realtime finger tracking, another on string and fret detection, and the last on movement segmentation. Finally, these concepts were integrated into a prototype and a system for left-hand fingering detection was developed. Such a data acquisition system for fingering retrieval has uses in music theory, music education, automatic music and accompaniment generation and physical modeling.

{{ projects:guitar_fingering:algorithm.jpeg?570 |Finger-tracking Algorithm}}

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===== Publications: =====

  * Burns, A.-M. (2006). {{publications:burns_mathesis_final.pdf|Computer Vision Methods for Guitarist Left-Hand Fingering Recognition}}. M.A. thesis, McGill University, Montréal, Québec
  * Burns, A.-M., & Wanderley, M. M. (2006). Visual methods for the retrieval of guitarist fingering. In proceedings of the New Interfaces for Musical Expression 2006 (pp. 196-199). Paris, France
  * Burns, A.-M., & Wanderley, M. M. (2006). Computer vision method for guitarist fingering retrieval. In proceedings of the Sound and Music Computing 2006 (pp. 1-7). Marseille, France 	
  * Burns, A.-M., & Mazzarino, B. (2006). Finger tracking methods using EyesWeb. In S. Gibet, N. Courty, & J.-F. Kamp (Eds.), Gesture workshop 2005 proceedings (Vol. LNAI 3881, pp. 156-167). Springer Verlag

===== Presentations: =====

  * Burns, A.-M., & Wanderley, M. M. (2006). Visual methods for the retrieval of guitarist fingering. New Interfaces for Musical Expression 2006. June 4-8, Paris, France
  * Burns, A.-M., & Wanderley, M. M. (2006). Computer vision method for guitarist fingering retrieval. Sound and Music Computing 2006. May, Marseille, France
  * Burns, A.-M., & Mazzarino, B. (2005). Finger tracking methods using EyesWeb. Gesture workshop 2005. May, Île de Berder, France

{{tag>Computer_Vision Guitar Video_Tracking}}