Harmonic Representations in Symbolic Music Transformers are Localized and Controllable
Transformer models trained on symbolic music have become remarkably capable. However, it is yet unclear how they represent music structure, and whether understanding their internal representations can be used to unlock methods for model control. We examine this through a case study of harmonic analysis: when a music transformer navigates a cadence, what does it internally "know" about its harmonic context, and can that knowledge be used to affect the generation? Using Aria, a LLaMA-based symbolic music transformer evaluated on Bach chorales, we find that harmonic decisions are causally localized progressively from middle layers onward. Linear probes show that mode becomes decodable in the...
| Authors | Adi Silberschein, Megan Wei, Tamar Rott Shaham |
|---|---|
| Primary category | cs.SD |
| Published | 11 October 2026 |
| Last updated at source | 11 October 2026 |
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