Researchers build machine that identifies music after hearing only three notes

Can you identify Beethoven's Sonata No. 9 after hearing a mere three notes? Probably not, but a group of computer scientists and music scholars have built a machine that can do just that. The team -- composed of Pablo Rodriguez Zivic, Favio Shifres and Guillermo Cecchi -- has developed an algorithm capable of identifying patterns across distinct periods of Western music based on semi-tones and notes. Beyond its musical application, the machine represents tantalizing possibilities for research in...