A while back there was a posting about somebody making MIDI files
from a video of a piano roll playing.  I thought this was interesting.
However, I didn't think it was terribly different from what has been
done for quite a while with roll scanning.  After all, a video of a
piano roll is just a low resolution scan.

I thought I would try something different.  I attempted to make a MIDI
file by analyzing the up and down movement of the piano keys themselves.
The results turned out okay and it was a fun exercise in programming.

Currently the software has the following limitations which could all
be overcome with a little more programming on my part:

1) You must use a video where the camera is on a tripod as the software
doesn't track movement or panning of the camera;

2) In the interest of saving disk space the software treats the image
as black and white so it can only react to changes in intensity, not
color;

3) There must be a fully unobstructed view of the keyboard during the
entire video.

I found a video on YouTube that met these requirements here:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09yv29Rg0Vg
 

I have attached the resulting MIDI file made by my software.  It is not
nearly perfect, but this MIDI comes straight from the video with no
editing whatsoever.

Benjamin Haass

 [ MIDI file from piano video
 [ http://www.mmdigest.com/Attachments/14/05/12/140512_095847_It_Had_to_Be_You.mid 

 [ The Billings Rollography says roll 7953 performed on YouTube
 [ is QRS 7953, "It Had To Be You," played by Frank Milne, issued
 [ July 1944.  -- Robbie