In our known universe there are various laws that govern it. I used to think that maths and all these formulas were something that someone came up with in a classroom one day. However overtime it seems that maths and science has been more of a discovery than an invention. Clever minds working out how things work rather than inventing them. Sure we came up with the representation of it in the form of our numbers, but the actual laws behind the math have always been there (though I know many would debate this) and it has been those clever minds that have found these underlying principles on which our known universe functions.
I might have lost some of you already but there is a musical relation I’ve been thinking about.
Do we invent or discover music?
Well if we think about it, music is made from sounds, sounds made from particles hitting one another, and there are various frequencies of these sounds that create what we know to be different pitches and notes. So I guess from a materialist’s point of view music is just a specific order of a bunch of frequencies of vibrating particles. That point aside for another day , I wonder if all Bach works already ‘existed’ before he wrote them. Was he just clever enough to find the right mixture of sounds to create his master pieces? And what makes the bunch of notes he put together any better or worse than the notes mozart put together?
Without making things too confusing I think there are a set amount of frequencies as far as we know. We discovered these sound waves and vibrating particles but we do invent different ways of organizing and expressing these sounds. So perhaps the greats of music have been those who have found a unique way of expressing these sound waves in a perfect balance of melody, rhythm, dynamic, and artistic influence. I really am not conclusive on any of this. Perhaps more thought
Jesse
Your so right. Music Theory is definitely a science into the appealing sounds and the reactions they provoke.
ReplyDeletethats interesting. its cool cuz theres so many different possibilities for the sounds and so many of them are beautiful. for me, music is a pleasure but i guess its also an escape. i lov ur blogs by the way, they make me think :)
ReplyDeleteThe secret is that the "correct" sounds are finite... If you tried to design a smash hit, you probably could, if you have a true appreciation for music, but your mind has been conditioned to think of all the possibilities and you get saturated. Analyze the mathematical patterns effectively enough and you could be rich. The Beatles figured it out...why not you?
ReplyDeleteFirst, generally: I didn't say it in the first posted comment, but Jesse I think this is a great blog posting.
ReplyDeleteSecond, specifically: Another way to look at the subject is to think of harmonics. Certain frequencies can destroy a bridge (re: aeroelastic flutter and the Tacoma Narrows bridge). There are natural frequencies (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_frequency)
Consider listening to a fan or other vibrating equipment and making your voice the same frequency, then above and below.
My theory is that if you can quantify and qualify those natural frequencies that make music enjoyable, you could be very popular. Why is Katy Perry slightly more popular than Brittany Spears?