I once had an engineer tell me that everything could be explained by mathematics. I promptly asked him to rephrase his assertion in a mathematical formula. I’m still waiting…
Here, I’m answering a similar question: Can music be explained by mathematics? I think not, and I intend to offer a couple of posts why I’ve come to this conclusion.
Admittedly, while I have great respect for classical music, I’m a “low-church” musician. To that end, consider the Lightning Boy:
Fast Tube by Casper
Both portions of the piece were outstanding; however, did you notice how one portion of the piece was cool, and one was not? This guy didn’t:
Fast Tube by Casper
Let’s review:
Cool:
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Not Cool:
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One more example from an endless store:
Cool:
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That’s how you do it, son…uh, not like this:
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There may exist a handful of cool mathematicians; what’s certain is that their mathematics are incapable of describing to us what is cool and what is not with regard to music. The property of coolness–one that is attached to certain musics but not all–does not reduce to equations. Nor shall it. As we proceed with this discussion, I’ll identify other properties of music that are not reducible to mathematics as well, and I’ll argue that they are just as important to music as the mathematically described properties of rhythm and interval. For now, though:
Fast Tube by Casper
BTW-Pat, I love you, man…that just wasn’t your best moment.
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I’ll comment after I stop laughing…
Quixote, I want to make sure I understand the overtone of your question:
“Can music be explained by mathematics?”
In the question you posed, to what extent do you define explanation–a partial explaining or an explaining in toto?
I’m still laughing…
* Partial and overtone are synonymous in music terminology… You could also make a case for ‘toto’ being musical in nature although it would be a stretch. 🙂
In toto, bowler, er, shemarosanna…but really, though mathematics properly functions as a descriptor for music–as language to express certain relationships between pitches, rhythms, and the like–it’s no more the essence or foundation of those things, or any other part of music, than the English language is the essence or foundation of the statements “Christ loves you” or “I was born in Houston.”
Understood and agreed, perhaps, but hold the line for a minute.
Musical styles share the same (or similar) languages whether someone’s playing a bagpipe in Scotland, a didgeridoo in the Outback, the santoor in Jammu, or a mbira in the rains down in Africa.
How do you account for that?
Whoa, whoa, whoa.
It’s not in the way they look or the things that they say that they do…it’s the same similarity you’d find in those same regional languages or dialects conveying a thought through language, whether it be on the French plains or the serengeti under the shadows of Kilimanjaro.
MS, covering one eye…
I’m glad you mentioned the hand over your eye. Music is like the two peaks of Kilimanjaro. One the one hand, you have the technical; on the other, you have expression. To acknowledge one without the other would be silly.
With only the technical, you end up with Yngwie Malmsteen or the modern diva that can sing 83 notes per 4/4 measure but lacks soul and expression.
With only the expressive quality of music, you end up with passionate chaos.
That’s why I asked how you defined explanation. If explaining in toto, I agree with you that mathematics cannot adequately explain music. If explaining partially, then I disagree.
If all someone wants to do in the morning is see his love’s eyes, the eyes have to exist. If a musician wants to play expressively, the technical must also exist.
[…] 15, 2010 by C.L. Dyck n the back room around the snooker table, [1] The Areopagus recently tossed a merry gauntlet in Scienda’s direction. A very silly gauntlet, with a smattering of rhinestones and a […]
I have picked up your gauntlet, de la Mancha…en garde!!!!!
“Bowler” Oh, too perfect…
Can Ralph Macchio really play the guitar so well? LOL –
Great blog – Laughed out loud… Even to the Elvis sign off… Too much