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These guys tried a similar technique to copyright all possible phone number combinations as "compositions" http://www.magnus-opus.com/, and got about 10 billion melodies out of it. And THAT'S only using 12 notes (more precisely, the 12 two-tone chords that are each key on the dial tone, but only those 12), it doesn't account for rhythm, or more than two voices. Check it out -- the song that is your phone number has been copyrighted.

But there are a few other problems with your approach, and the summary makes the same error when it says that Tymoczko's theory describes "all possible chordal music." (I doubt Tymoczko would make this claim.)

Any system of tuning, be it standard Western 12 tones per octave, or more detailed Indian scales that include quarter tones, only uses a few of the infinite number of audible frequencies. Human ears can actually be trained to identify differences between a standard A at 440 Hz and an A at 441 Hz. If you represent those frequencies as 440.000 and 441.000, you may see my point.

Since a chord is defined as two or more simultaneous tones, the set of "all possible chordal combinations" would have to include all possible tones.

128 MIDI notes --and is based on a system of tuning, an approximation of points along the spectrum in the same way that a box of crayons is an approximation of colors within the visible spectrum.

Even for music that sticks to 12 notes per octave, in practice and reality, almost all songs are not played perfectly in tune. Bent notes, attack, mechanical reasons and other serve to make not all A's equal.

Because of time variation, both throughout a piece and in performance, a similar approach is needed for rhythm: beats per second is, like music notation, an arbitrary set of points along a spectrum. Another way of looking at it is that they are along the same spectrum: "notes" are simply frequencies too fast for us to pick up the individual beats, and beats are "notes" whose tones are too low for us to hear.

As for your system, you still need to do is allow for texture, tone, volume, not to mention standard MIDI characteristics like attack and delay. I'd be fascinated to see a system that was able to describe texture/tone in any way other than analogy (bright, muffled, woody, etc), but have yet to find one, let alone figure out how to describe it in terms of quantity.

you'd better get a license for your phonenumber melody

For phone number sequences, it's been done. Check here to avoid violating copyrights when you dial a phone. I recommend using pulse dial from now on.

http://www.magnus-opus.com/index1.html

You may be breaching copyright law everytime you use your phone.

This reminds me of the Magnus-Opus project. http://www.magnus-opus.com/index1.html
Basically, they wrote a piece of music that contains every possible phone number in Austrailia. The tones made by a touch-tone phone in dialing a number are now copyrighted. When you call someone, you are performing one of their songs and must pay for a compulsory licence. It was a great idea to poke fun at the absurdity of copyright laws. (And it is a fun read too.)

I'd call (202) 456-1414 to complain, but the RIAA would then be after me.

Actually, there was already an article on /. a while back about a couple guys in Australia having copyrighted practically every phone number you could think of.

If one can sue over copyright infringment based of a reppetitive set of tones, what is to stop someone from generating millions of tonal combintations with a computer copyrighting the lot of them and suing every "artist" that ends up duplicating them?

Oh, sure. Next you'll be telling me that someone can just copyright all possible Phone Numbers?

--

...back in October 2001 or so.

awful writes: "Two composers in Australia have copyrighted over 100,000,000,000 phone tone dialing sequences. They state in the article that they are lampooning copyright laws that protect big business rather than artists. Their website has more info and explains how they did it. You can check your number and make sure it hasn't been copyrighted by these guys. They have already recieved one offer of money - from a guy who wanted to purchase the copyright to his number so he could stop direct marketing firms from calling him."

Hehehe, they even have licensing, a MUST SEE !!!
" In order to ascertain if you are in breach of international copyright law you may test your number against our composition database by clicking here."

Another great example of reducio ad absurdum - taking something to its absurd extreme. Or they could be simply making fun of the international copyright system.

I hope that this guys realiase what they just did.

This is a flagrant violation of copyright.

Check THIS out, we're all stealing music !!!

Actually, it specifically states "Play in your own rhythm" on the page you can use to see if your phone number's 'opus' has been copyrighted. (It has.)

To see this, head here, http://www.magnus-opus.com/number_check.html, be sure to enter a number, hit the search button, and let the page load.

Good thing this is a joke/hoax! $100/yr to dial your own phone number, $1000 to buy rights to that ONE number (just don't move... ever), and just one more annoying thing to do if you ever get a different phone number! Oh? You want to call a friend or family member, too? What about the phone or cable company? Break out your checkbook! Heh heh, eeeeevil.

of 100,000,000,000 webhits in an hour? And is it copywritable as the slashdot effect melody?

(As I look now their site is not down, but .jpgs are loading REALLY slowly...)