What Math Actually Sounds Like

cellophane writes "If Verdi had a math fetish and a computer, would he be John Greschak? Greschak composes music based upon the mathematical properties of various mathematical objects (e.g. a six-sided die or pentominoes). He writes computer programs to realize devised algorithms and uses the results of these processes as source material for musical pieces. Greschak's newest addition, Platonic Dice: Dodecahedron for 12 woodwinds, was created by using musical material derived from the mathematical properties of one of the Platonic dice. Well, its not Verdi, but its definitely interesting."

Comments

Great, now can we expect...

[gregwbrooks]

... to see thousands of web-porn banners screaming "see Dodecahedrons in hot back-stage action now!!!"

I don't like it as much as mallcore

[SexyKellyOsbourne]

It's not as good at the latest crazy town album, but in case it's slashdotted -- it sounds very strange, twangy, almost random, and VERY, VERY dissonant. However, it's quite beautiful.

Fractal Music is quite interesting, as well, and oddly it still sounds more orderly than Platonic Dice.

Yup, pretty much like I thought

[McCart42]

I anticipate that Hilary Rosen and Jack Valenti will spend the hereafter listening to this, if there is any sense of justice in the afterlife.

Re:Yup, pretty much like I thought

[awfwal]

If there was any justice in the afterlife, the would be listening to boy bands.

What die do I use

[teamhasnoi]

to make a saving throw against the MIDI sounds coming out of my speaker?

Please hook up a sampler and record it that way.

I like the music, its just that the MIDI kills me.

Re:What die do I use

[dubiousmike]

Try Roland's software synth.

I think its free and has pretty decent sounds.

puhhhlleeeassseeee

[Monkelectric]

Music has mathmatical patters, that does not mean math makes good music. People have been trying to discover algorithims which can generate music for years, and this guy has not advanced the science any.

This is truely one of the worst things i've ever heard. And I own a gravel album so thats saying quite a lot.

Re:puhhhlleeeassseeee

[tomstdenis]

I agree. Man was that horrible. I could make better music by dropping a drum set down a Tibetan mountain side.

Tom

Where's the emotion?

[manly_15]

The poster was right - this is not Verdi. Music is not just an expression of mathematical equations. What these compositions are missing is the feeling, the tension, the journey that music should take you on. Serious music lovers like myself all would say that the best music is that which is filled with emotion. That includes classical music like Beethoven and Handel; it also (at least IMHO) includes newer music from bands like The Tea Party, Our Lady Peace, or my favourite indie band, Das Radio.

The true breakthrough will be when equations can be used to create music with emotion. Unfortunately, that will probably be years away...

for 12 woodwinds?

[Drunken Coward]

Sounds like "for 12 monkeys with kazoos."

No, I take that back. It didn't sound that good.

Roll your own...

[Black Parrot]

I haven't tried it yet, but a couple of days ago a message went out on guile-user saying that the Common Music composition language has been ported to GUILE. (It is a Lisp-based program that already worked with several varieties of Lisp; see the link for more info.)

It supports ordinary composition, but its toolbox supports stuff like random selection and interpolation into envelopes, which ought to make exploitation of the mathematical properties of objects pretty easy.

Re:You want math and music?

[hitzroth]

Bach. Not Mozart.

I've heard this music before

[dfn5]

I used to hear this every day in high school during band practice.... while everyone was warming up.
I wouldn't exactly call it music though...

A good use for this music, except...

[Alsee]

I would propose making monsterously huge speakers and blasting this into Iraq, but in my oppinion it would be a violation of the Geneva Convention.

-

Confucious says...

[Dr. Cody]

The truely wise man posts his music in MIDI before summiting his webpage to Slashdot.

This sounds very much like...

[Aiwendel]

...the music of Arnold Schoenberg. He was a german composer in the early 20th century who wrote very atonal pieces using what he called "tone rows" - a particular note could not be used again until all of the other 11 notes in the chromatic scale had been used.

Too bound by the math.

[erik_fredricks]

Schoenberg tried the same sort of thing in 1921 or so. He invented the "twelve tone" system, in which the twelve chromatic tones were arranged according to mathematical sets. He even remarked to one of his students that he had come up with an idea that would, "ensure the domination of German music in the 20th century."

The basic idea was neat in that it removed conscious choice from the equation and resulted in melodic and harmonic combinations that wouldn't normally occur to a composer. Serialism, as it's called, is still being taught and used to this day, even if I find it tiresome myself. Basically, this is just another facet of that serial system.

It has a unique kind of icy, remote quality, but music isn't really meant to be appreciated on an intellectual level so much as an emotional one. True enough, you can have a satisfying balance of both (like Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier), but purely intellectual stuff like this just isn't all that interesting outside of certain circles. Schoenberg's students, Alban Berg and Anton Webern did a much better job of writing listenable music with the system, mostly because they allowed some human influence in the model.