Universal patterns in sound amplitudes of songs and music genres

TL;DR

This study analyzes over eight thousand songs to identify a universal distribution pattern in sound amplitudes, linking distribution parameters to music complexity and genre classification.

Contribution

It introduces a universal stretched Gaussian distribution model for sound amplitudes and connects distribution parameters to music complexity and genre differentiation.

Findings

Sound amplitudes follow a universal stretched Gaussian distribution.

The distribution parameter correlates with music complexity.

Correlation properties relate to non-Gaussian amplitude distributions.

Abstract

We report a statistical analysis over more than eight thousand songs. Specifically, we investigate the probability distribution of the normalized sound amplitudes. Our findings seems to suggest a universal form of distribution which presents a good agreement with a one-parameter stretched Gaussian. We also argue that this parameter can give information on music complexity, and consequently it goes towards classifying songs as well as music genres. Additionally, we present statistical evidences that correlation aspects of the songs are directly related with the non-Gaussian nature of their sound amplitude distributions.