1. A method of retrieving information related to a known melody from a database, the steps comprising: a) inputting at least a fragment of a known melody to a computer interface; b) deriving relative pitch information and relative rhythm information for said inputted melodic fragment; c) encoding said derived relative pitch information and said relative rhythm information to create an encoded representation of said melodic fragment, the encoded representation being in the form of a KP code; and d) comparing said encoded representation to a database of pre-compiled, encoded musical information representative of at least one melody.