Google launches ‘hum to search’ feature for forgotten song lyrics
Don’t you just hate it when you have a song, jingle or guitar chord stuck on your head that keeps playing over and over but you can’t recall the title or even lyrics? Well, this piece of good news might be music to your ears.
Google has launched a new "hum to search" feature where you can hum, whistle or sing the tune and the search engine will automatically present a shortlist of possibilities. Google says it works even if you’re off key.
What to do
The "hum to search" feature works for both Andrioid and iOS. To start:
- Open the latest version of the Google app or find your Google Search widget on your mobile device.
- Tap the mic icon and say “what's this song?” or click the “Search a song” button.
- Start humming for 10-15 seconds. On Google Assistant, just say “Hey Google, what’s this song?” and then hum the tune.
- Google will display the most likely options after a few seconds.
After seeing all the results, users can select the best match and explore information on the song and artist, view any accompanying music videos or listen to the song on your favorite music app, find the lyrics, read analysis and even check out other recordings of the song, when available.
The feature is currently available in English on iOS, and in more than 20 languages on Android.
How it works
According to Google, a song’s melody is like a fingerprint and each has its own unique identity. By using machine learning models, audio can be transformed into a number-based sequence representing the song’s melody. Machine learning models then identify the songs based on a variety of sources, including humans singing, whistling or humming, as well as studio recordings.
Algorithms also take note of other important details like accompanying instruments and the voice's timbre and tone. By comparing these sequences to thousands of songs, Google’s Search can identify potential matches in real time.
The result, Google says, is having the ability to recognize songs without the lyrics or original title. All you need is just a simple hum.