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The mathematical approach to music has one endgame, and it isn't pretty.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LACCAF04wSs



Huh, I watch that and chuckle at how dated it is, and totally missing the point. Should we all point and laugh at how "Why So Serious?" from The Dark Knight soundtrack isn't something you can sing in the shower?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fB5tbTpQvsM

And 12-tone music isn't the result of an especially "mathematical approach" to music. It's the result of the attempt to break the boundaries of the traditional tonal systems using the musical language that existed at the time. It's the primary endgame of atonality within equal temperament system. Traditional western music is all tonal. It's all in "keys." 12-tone music is an attempt to create meaningful, coherent music that avoids relying on tonality. It's an attempt to create music that can't be identified as being in "C Major" or any other key.


It's just a parody. The "point" is that 12 tone music is:

1. Not enjoyable or successful in the popular, "catchy" sense,

2. Stylistically uniform,

3. Suitable as incidental music for scenes of horror and carnage.


1. The particular popular, "catchy" sense that was fashionable when the parody was created. If that's a "point" then sure. To me it's like calling a stone fortress on not being a tent.

2. Anything can be called 'stylistically uniform' if you ignore enough details, and music is all about details.

3. This "point" is applied carelessly, merely pairing up random recordings with video seemingly at random and with no taste. Furthermore, attempt to dismiss something as suitable as "incidental music" for movie scenes is hilarious in itself, given the importance music currently plays in movies.


>1. Not enjoyable or successful in the popular, "catchy" sense,

well, then it must be bad.

>2. Stylistically uniform,

No.

I love this stuff. Better than Brittney any day.


well, then it must be bad.

WTF? Is this the thread where everyone completely misunderstands everything? Did I say "bad"? Did the video say "bad"? Is Brittney Spears the comparable here?, or perhaps should we pit the entire 12 tone catalog against one movement of anything written by Beethoven and see how it stands up? It's just a joke. There are two classes of people who cannot tolerate humor:

1. Islamofascists.

2. People who enjoy 12 tone music.


Humor is the most subjective of all entertainment. I don't find that particular video funny (in the manner it was intended) because the ignorance and apparent dating is too distracting.

Have you considered that there might be 12-tone music that is funny for people who know how to listen to it?

Also, you said The mathematical approach to music has one endgame, and it isn't pretty. If that's been misunderstood somehow please feel free to clarify.


You're talking about a mathematical approach to the choice of notes in a piece, while the article is talking about a mathematical approach to the choice of frequencies for the notes... which, as the article points out, relates directly to how the ear senses sound. Rather than leading to twelve-tone music, the article gives a physical reason why people might dislike twelve-tone music: it doesn't favor any particular frequency ratios.


That's a funny video - thanks.

However, nearly all music with "scales" is mathemagical to a large extent. Anyone who is interested in this sort of thing should check out the 2-volume book "Musimathics" by Gareth Loy.


Huh. I actually like that stuff...




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