HNote: Extending YNote with Hexadecimal Encoding for Fine-Tuning LLMs in Music Modeling

Abstract

Recent advances in large language models (LLMs) have created new opportunities for symbolic music generation. However, existing formats such as MIDI, ABC, and MusicXML are either overly complex or structurally inconsistent, limiting their suitability for token-based learning architectures. To address these challenges, we propose HNote, a novel hexadecimal-based notation system extended from YNote, which encodes both pitch and duration within a fixed 32-unit measure framework. This design ensures alignment, reduces ambiguity, and is directly compatible with LLM architectures. We converted 12,300 Jiangnan-style songs generated from traditional folk pieces from YNote into HNote, and fine-tuned LLaMA-3.1(8B) using parameter-efficient LoRA. Experimental results show that HNote achieves a syntactic correctness rate of 82.5%, and BLEU and ROUGE evaluations demonstrate strong symbolic and structural similarity, producing stylistically coherent compositions. This study establishes HNote as an effective framework for integrating LLMs with cultural music modeling.