Past, Present and Future in Ethnomusicology: the Computational Challenge

Ethnomusicology has changed its paradigm over the years, but the core of this field is mainly related to non-Western and folk music studies. It combines an anthropological and musicological point of view, not only studying the sound itself, but also its context. The MIR community is evincing interest in non-Western traditions, but this interest is still very recent. During the late break session at ISMIR 2012 (Porto), several researchers joined the session on ethnomusicology and some ideas were proposed, sketched in this paper. First, it was suggested the necessity of creating a web site or wiki page for the publication of content related to the field. Second, it was stressed the importance of the creation of an international research network. Third, the connection between MIR researchers and ethnomusicologists was emphasized once more.