janzen@sunfun.DEC (Thomas E. Janzen CSS GNG CWO 714 850-7849 SUNFUN::JANZEN) (09/10/84)
RE: Melody generating algorithms. Four years ago my brother loaned his TRS80 to learn programming and get a job. (I work as a hardware technician on computers). I used it to generated monody out the cassette port. A machine language program counted time and also counted crests of pulse waves for duration. A BASIC program interpreted a character list of pitches (sometimes quarter tones) and durations in musical ratios (3/4 for dotted half, or 3.14159/2.71828 if I wanted). I exchanged the data entry routine for a random white generator. (Not tested for statistical validity). It was interesting to do a few times because I had never made automatic music. Do keep in touch with Automatic Composers Assoc. in San Francisco. They were in New Music America, I guess 1981. It sounded like what I just described, but three computers at once live on stage. Frankly, I don't see any purpose in analysis because it is inherently retrospective, and keeps us from listening to all the new music. I don't think in terms of melody any more; probably no mature composer does, unless they write for solo voice. Cage or one of his friends predicted in the 30's that their new music would sound melodic in twenty years, or something like that. You write automatic music if you want to, but only if you want to make some good music. That's the only reason. TOm Janzen Mon 10-Sep-1984 09:24 PDT