# On the Complex Network Structure of Musical Pieces: Analysis of Some Use Cases from Different Music Genres

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.09708 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.09708/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 13 Sep 2017.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Graph-based Polyphonic Multitrack Music Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.14928/) (2023)
- [MusicSwarm: Biologically Inspired Intelligence for Music Composition](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.11973/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This paper focuses on the modeling of musical melodies as networks. Notes of a melody can be treated as nodes of a network. Connections are created whenever notes are played in sequence. We analyze some main tracks coming from different music genres, with melodies played using different musical instruments. We find out that the considered networks are, in general, scale free networks and exhibit the small world property. We measure the main metrics and assess whether these networks can be considered as formed by sub-communities. Outcomes confirm that peculiar features of the tracks can be extracted from this analysis methodology. This approach can have an impact in several multimedia applications such as music didactics, multimedia entertainment, and digital music generation.