Portrait of Fadi Al-Ghawanmeh

Fadi Al-Ghawanmeh

Music Technology · Computer Science

Research & Development

Journal publications, conference papers, grants, awards, service, and software contributions spanning natural language processing, signal processing, and machine learning applied to Arab maqam music.

Fadi Al-Ghawanmeh presenting audio feature analysis extracted with Librosa
Presenting musical features extracted from audio recordings as part of ongoing generative-AI research, at Carleton College. The materials on screen were produced by a student researcher on our research team.

Journal Articles

Published Conference Papers

Software Contributions

Publicly available software tools developed to support the analysis and generation of Arab maqam music, at github.com/FadiGhawanmeh.

Mawaweel

An enhanced version of the Mawaweel Java application for automatic instrumental accompaniment to mawwāl. Replaces an earlier rule-based model with a statistical machine translation model, enabling real-time generation of stylistically coherent improvisatory phrases.

Corpus Maker

A dedicated tool for building symbolic parallel datasets from live audio of vocal improvisatory sentences and their corresponding MIDI keyboard instrumental responses in maqām improvisation (mawwāl), streamlining sentence extraction, alignment, and formatting for AI music generation research.

Real-Time Maqām Estimation Patch (Max/MSP)

An interactive Max/MSP patch for real-time identification of Arab maqām in nāy improvisation, based on tonic detection and pitch-class signature identification through layered decision processes. Configured for the nāy-dokah. Documentation available on ResearchGate.

Research Illustrations

Cross-cultural embodied response to maqām improvisation

A motion-capture study comparing average motion intensity over an 8-minute solo maqām taqāsīm between 30 listeners in Amman and 30 in Oslo. Both groups responded to key structural moments — a modulation around the second 170 and the entry of the iqāʿ (rhythmic accompaniment) around the second 300 — while differing in baseline engagement and sensitivity to free-rhythm passages. The work, conducted at the RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion (University of Oslo), informs research on cross-cultural music perception, embodied cognition, and personalized music generation.

Mawaweel demonstration

Highlights from a residency presentation at Stochastic Labs (Berkeley, California, 2023), combining a live vocal performance accompanied by the Mawaweel application with a proposed hybrid pipeline pairing Mawaweel with Meta's MusicGen for layered musical output, closing with a live nāy taqāsīm improvisation.

Grants

2018–2023
Licence – Technologie de la MusiqueManager (2018–2020). Capacity-building initiative establishing infrastructure for an undergraduate concentration in Music Technology at the University of Jordan, in collaboration with LORIA. Funded by the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF), €12,000.
2016–2022
TRAM: Translating Arab MusicManager (2016–2020) and research team co-leader. Machine translation methods for automatic accompaniment to Arab vocal improvisation (mawwāl). Funded by AUF, €20,000.
2014–2015
Designing Compositional Algorithms for an Improved Automatic Accompaniment to Arab Vocal Improvisation "Mawwāl"Project manager and research team leader. Funded by the University of Jordan and the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC), $21,000.
2008–2009
Digital Melody Indexing of Jordanian Musical LibrariesProject manager and research team co-leader. Funded by the European Commission and the Shoman Foundation, $40,000.

Awards & Scholarships

2018
Full Scholarship, University of Jordan, for Ph.D. studies at the University of Oslo and University of Lorraine.
2017
Best Paper Award, ICNLSSP, Higher Institute of Engineering and Business, Casablanca, Morocco.
2016
Erasmus Mundus Staff-Exchange Scholarship, LORIA (France).
2015
Grant, University of Jordan, for 4-month scientific visit to LORIA (France).
2013
Erasmus Mundus Staff-Exchange Full Scholarship, University of Bologna, Italy.
2011
Full Scholarship, University of Jordan, for M.A. in Music Technology at NYU.
2009
Erasmus Mundus Undergraduate Exchange, Berlin University of Technology / Audio Communication Department.
2008
First chair prize, National Technology Parade, E-Learning theme, Jordan.
2008
Third chair prize, Contest of the Eleventh Conference of Students' Creativity, Association of Arab Universities, Latakia, Syria.
2006
Partial scholarship, summer school at Munich University of Technology.
2004
First chair prize, Youth Creativity Contest for Music, Ministry of Culture, Jordan.
2003
Third chair prize (Musical Contest, Ministry of Education) and first chair prize (Amman Governorate).

Service

2021–2026
Liaison Officer to Jordan, International Council of Traditional Music.
2022
Evaluator, International Computer Music Conference (ML-based composition topic).
2019–2020
Representative of the School of Arts and Design, University Council, University of Jordan.
2019
Judging Panelist, Division of Music, Film, and Theatre, Global Undergraduate Awards, Ireland.

Additional Training

2014
Advanced Statistics for Scientific Research, University of Jordan.
2009
Digital Musical Signal Analysis, Berlin University of Technology, Germany.
2008
Digital Economy, CRM, and Individualism, Boğaziçi University, Turkey.
2006
Programming System on Chip (PSoC) / IEEE.
2006
IT for Sustainable Development of Cultural Heritage, Munich University of Technology, Germany.