The Parsons Code for Melodic Contours
Each pair of consecutive notes is coded as "U" ("up") if the second note is higher than the first note, "R" ("repeat") if the pitches are equal, and "D" ("down") otherwise. Rhythm is completely ignored. Thus, the first theme from Beethoven's 8th symphony that is shown above would be coded DUUDDDURDRUUUU. Note that the first note of any tune is used only as a reference point and does not show up explicitly in the Parsons code. You can enter an asterisk (*) in the Parsons code field for the first note.
In his "Directory of Tunes and Musical Themes" (Spencer Brown, 1975), D. Parsons showed that this simple encoding of tunes, which ignores most of the information in the musical signal, can still provide enough information for distinguishing between a large number of tunes.
Bernard Levin described the dilemma that can be solved with the Parsons Code: "... what if we cannot read, or write, a single note of music? What if we think that A flat major is an army officer who has had the misfortune to be run over by a tank? Are we to long in vain for the ability to discover what we are trilling, or the trombone-playing busker in the street is tootling, or the maiden at the piano glimpsed behind the lace curtains is tinkling?"
