Neurswing: an intelligent workbench for the investigation of swing in jazz

Neurswing is an intelligent system to investigate swing in jazz by simulating the operation of a rhythm section. From an input consisting of the harmonic grid of a standard time, it constructs a network representing musical data. At runtime the system generates and plays the music of piano, bass, and drums in real time. The user can control the performing style of the rhythm section by setting input parameters of a second, separate and asynchronous, net, which manipulates the probability of some choices. The system can simulate most aspects of a performing jazz rhythm section. It substitutes chords, bass lines, and drum licks, and has been used by practising improvisers as a didactic tool. The rules for substitution as well as the stylistic net are external to the basic system and can be configured and altered at will, allowing the user to treat the system as a workbench for experiments in the synthesis and analysis of swing.<>