Althouse: I love these graphical musical depictions.

February 14, 2011

I love these graphical musical depictions.

Many more where that came from.

Via Jaltcoh, who's finding fault with an article about "the neuroscience of music."

18 comments:

bagoh20 said...: I can't, but I imagine for those who read music fluently, it may look like this to them.; 2/14/11, 8:31 PM
The Dude said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/14/11, 8:35 PM
Unknown said...: A graphic representation of a mathematical relationship. Technically, many would find the concept counterintuitive.

I would imagine to an arts major that would be very fascinating.

Also to a math major.; 2/14/11, 9:07 PM
Lem the artificially intelligent said...: Its another encounter of the musical kind.; 2/14/11, 9:17 PM
madAsHell said...: When I was young, piano music gave me anxiety attacks. I couldn't understand how all the pieces fit together...although I did appreciate the music.

Yes, I'm an engineer. I think in pictures.

Prof. Althouse thinks in words...and that's why I keep coming back. She sees things in words.; 2/14/11, 9:17 PM
John Burgess said...: I'm a musician, but I'm also very visually oriented. This is a wonderful translation of 'the dots' to a more vivid and more easily understandable medium.

It's terrific.; 2/14/11, 10:21 PM
traditionalguy said...: That knocked my socks off. Thanks Professor for bringing that graphical music into my life.; 2/14/11, 10:21 PM
Skyler said...: I prefer the traditional means of portraying music better. Hundreds of years have gone into trying to express the infinite nuances that this silly graphic can't even come close to doing.

It reminds me of a dime store music box.; 2/14/11, 10:21 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: That's how music's arranged on computer, but as MIDI files instead of just graphics. Each file contains info on what key it is, how long it is held down, how hard it was hit, etc. Much more info than a normal piano or whatever can produce. And, in the end, it can spit out a transcribed version for you luddites who want to see your precious dots.

I'd hate to see what you guys would say about music charts for turntable DJs.; 2/14/11, 10:38 PM
Skyler said...: I'd hate to see what you guys would say about music charts for turntable DJs.

It would be something along the lines of it not being music. :); 2/14/11, 10:50 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Oh yea. I forgot.; 2/15/11, 12:18 AM
rhhardin said...: It does nothing for me.

The traditional medium greatly enhances listening to hard to follow choral music though.; 2/15/11, 8:29 AM
Henry said...: A graphic representation of a mathematical relationship. Technically, many would find the concept counterintuitive.

On the contrary, it's completely intuitive. Math and graphics go together. In it's broadest sense it's what I do for a living.

To quote statistician John Tukey:

The picture-examining eye is the best finder we have of the wholly unanticipated.

As for this piece, it seems to be a logical abstraction from sheet music. Unlike some music-graphing confections this one seems directly tied to the sounds. But I can't say I find it all that interesting.; 2/15/11, 8:32 AM
rhhardin said...: Before a Town Hall clavichord concert, the artist asked those with pocket scores to put them away, because the simultaneous turning of a hundred pages would be louder than the clavichord; my father reported.; 2/15/11, 8:42 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/15/11, 11:45 AM
Dust Bunny Queen said...: for those who read music fluently, it may look like this to them.

Somewhat.

I couldn't stand it. It was jarring and one dimensional.

The colors are not what I see when I hear the tones and there was no texture to the graphics. I had to immediately turn it off and go listen to some other music to expunge the visual from my brain. It was a horrible experience.

As to the unexpected in music creating tension and release. I don't think that means what Jaltcho thinks that it means. Knowing a piece by heart or having heard it repeatedly so that you know what is coming next one thing.

We are conditioned to recognizing various musical scales, it may even be a genetic component of being homo sapiens, and intuitively know what fits into the scales. Just like in most Country Western songs or Blue Grass picking music (not to pick on them) we know what basically comes next. This explains why a musician can generally jump in and play right along with the group even if they have never heard that particular song. The same skill set applies to vocal harmony.

When the composer or a talented musician juxtaposes different tones, scales and tempos it creates the 'unexpected' and delights the audience and gives a genuine thrill of appreciation to all of the musicians.

Jazz musicians are famous for interpretive on the fly creations of 'unexpected' sounds. When the creation is memorialized by recording or repeated over and over by other musicians and is familiarly recognized by everyone as the.....it doesn't mean the composition isn't still unexpected in form.

Clear as mud? At least that is how I experience music. Maybe a little Mr. Natural will help clear it up.

:-D; 2/15/11, 11:50 AM
Johanna Lapp said...: Maybe they should print these out on a long roll of paper. And build a scanner attachment for pianos that would read those rolls of paper and depress the corresponding piano keys. It would be like having a concert virtuoso visiting in your very own parlor.

THIS is the kind of original idea that would get America's economy moving again.; 2/15/11, 11:51 AM
mariner said...: I enjoyed that.

Thank you.; 2/15/11, 12:26 PM