Harmonic "Drive Analyzer" Software

Forkert-Smith, Kenneth ORCID: 0000-0001-7414-9180 (2027) Harmonic "Drive Analyzer" Software Music Analysis (Critical Forum). ISSN 0262-5245, 1468-2249

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Abstract

This article introduces the Drive Analyzer (V1.3), a software tool designed to identify and map latent tonal impulses — termed "harmonic drives" — within highly chromatic and atonal music. Building on methods developed by the author between 2020 and 2021, the programme processes standard MusicXML files to locate dominant-seventh and triadic subsets embedded within larger pitch-class collections, visualising their relative strengths and interactions across time. Drawing on probability theory and Claude Shannon's entropy formula, the software produces both a dynamic grid display and a quantitative measure of harmonic complexity at each moment of a piece. A range of customisable settings — including arpeggio search, consonant-skip detection, sustain pedal modelling, and drive-strength weighting — allows users to tailor the analysis to different repertoires and theoretical priorities. The article demonstrates the programme's capabilities through three case studies: Webern's Four Pieces for Violin and Piano, Op. 7/i, where competing tonal centres emerge from an atonal surface; Thundercat's "Jameel's Space Ride," in which harmonic density is read as a metaphor for social pressure and escape; and Lili Boulanger's "Dans l'immense tristesse," where drive mapping illuminates the song's shifting emotional and hermeneutic landscape. The article concludes by evaluating the programme's strengths and limitations as both an analytical and pedagogical tool, situating it within broader computational approaches to extended tonality.

Item Type:	Article
Divisions:	Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of the Arts Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of the Arts > Music Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > Faculty of Humanities & Social Sci (All T&R Staff) Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences > School of the Arts > School of the Arts (T&R Staff)
Depositing User:	Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited:	07 May 2026 14:36
Last Modified:	07 May 2026 14:36
URI:	https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3198341
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