Toward Real-Time Estimation of Tonehole Configuration

This work presents a strategy for developing an estimator of tonehole configuration or “fingering” applied by a player during performance, using only the signal recorded at the bell. Because of a player can use alternate fingerings and overblowing to produce a given frequency, detecting the sounding pitch does not produce a unique result. An estimator is developed using both 1) instrument transfer function as derived from acoustic measurements of the instrument configured with each of all possible fingerings, and 2) features extracted from the produced sound— indirect correlations with the transfer function magnitudes. Candidate fingerings are held in sorted stacks, one for each feature considered and a final decision is made based on a fingering’s position within the stack, along with that stacks weighting. Several recordings of a professional saxophonist playing notes using all fingerings are considered, and features discussed.