<p>Direct answer: I would use the <strong>transfer entropy</strong> analysis, as used by Reiji Suzuki and colleagues (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3645" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Suzuki et al 2017</a>). I also developed a method for analysing interactions (2016) but my method is for short-duration events (calls) and is not appropriate here. Transfer entropy should be appropriate for detecting influences between parallel ongoing streams of sound.</p>
<p>You need to choose an appropriate feature representation of the audio. Here, I would simply use the pitch track.</p>
<p>Additional notes:</p>
<p>I wouldn't expect to discover much interaction. The most prominent bird sound seems to be a nightingale, a European bird which I wouldn't expect to encounter in the habitat nor time of day shown in this video! The nightingale is presumably prerecorded and mixed in later (just like the backup cellos), which for me is a bit of a disappointment.</p>
<p>You can read David Rothenberg's &quot;Why Birds Sing&quot; for some extended discussion of whether or not we would expect birds to interact with musicians, written by someone with experience of playing the clarinet &quot;with&quot; birds.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-17T12:35:15.363Z
2022-08-17T12:35:15.363Z
Dan Stowell
<p>How would you analyze the sound track in this video to show the presence or absence of acoustic interactions between the cello emissions and the birds?</p>
<p><a href="https://aeon.co/videos/yo-yo-ma-performs-a-work-for-cello-in-the-woods-accompanied-by-a-birdsong-chorus" rel="noreferrer">https://aeon.co/videos/yo-yo-ma-performs-a-work-for-cello-in-the-woods-accompanied-by-a-birdsong-chorus</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-23T21:19:04.340Z
One can imagine that Yo Yo Ma changes its way of playing while listening to the birds;  is there any background to hypothesize that the birds would change their vocalizations in response to such cello sounds?
Noil
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-23T21:55:42.283Z
Good point Noil. Maybe this possibility makes it more difficult and interesting. Also maybe we can consider this as any two sets of individuals possibly interacting acoustically. And to make it harder, which bird species members appear to be interacting and which ones most probably are not.
sm1
<analysis><performance>
Fun challenge: how would you analyze this sound track to show presence or absence of acoustic interactions
# Fun challenge: how would you analyze this sound track to show presence or absence of acoustic interactions

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-23)

How would you analyze the sound track in this video to show the presence or absence of acoustic interactions between the cello emissions and the birds?

<https://aeon.co/videos/yo-yo-ma-performs-a-work-for-cello-in-the-woods-accompanied-by-a-birdsong-chorus>

**Tags:** analysis, performance

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: One can imagine that Yo Yo Ma changes its way of playing while listening to the birds;  is there any background to hypothesize that the birds would change their vocalizations in response to such cello sounds?  
> **username_0**: Good point username_1. Maybe this possibility makes it more difficult and interesting. Also maybe we can consider this as any two sets of individuals possibly interacting acoustically. And to make it harder, which bird species members appear to be interacting and which ones most probably are not.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2022-08-17. Score: 4

Direct answer: I would use the **transfer entropy** analysis, as used by Reiji Suzuki and colleagues ([Suzuki et al 2017](https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3645)). I also developed a method for analysing interactions (2016) but my method is for short-duration events (calls) and is not appropriate here. Transfer entropy should be appropriate for detecting influences between parallel ongoing streams of sound.

You need to choose an appropriate feature representation of the audio. Here, I would simply use the pitch track.

Additional notes:

I wouldn't expect to discover much interaction. The most prominent bird sound seems to be a nightingale, a European bird which I wouldn't expect to encounter in the habitat nor time of day shown in this video! The nightingale is presumably prerecorded and mixed in later (just like the backup cellos), which for me is a bit of a disappointment.

You can read David Rothenberg's "Why Birds Sing" for some extended discussion of whether or not we would expect birds to interact with musicians, written by someone with experience of playing the clarinet "with" birds.


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