Maybe this is controversial? Maybe it is not? But could a computer compose?

Brian Eno has been playing with 'self generating' musical systems since the mid 90's. The idea is to blend and overlap musical elements in continually changing and random ways to create constantly unique and new music without end.

We don't always need a human composer for a human audience to love the composition. Bird song is beautiful but was never created for our ears.

I'm sure a computer could be programmed to compose but then the question arises, who is the composer ? The computer or the programmer ?

No computer could ever match Mozart - the greatest genius the world has ever known, in my humble opinion. Those notes didn't get there by accident, as I'm sure that you appreciate, and it had nothing to do with scales or octaves.

But by all means go out and prove me wrong, if you will.

G

Today? No. Tomorrow? Maybe, but I doubt it.

Someone has to program the computer and until computers can think for themselves there is no point.



Dean...

No, not at this time.

I suppose some clever software guy could use the basic information about music construction to define some rules for creating tunefull note strings.

However it will be a bigger challenge to come up with lyrics for songs that make sequenced sense.

The best music communicates emotion. Given some fairly simple rules and bit of a randomizing element, computers can certainly produce something we would recognise as music, but I doubt we would ever really rate it as "great".

quote:

Originally posted by Consciousmess:
So do you think in the next 10 years we could programme a computer (give it all the important variables, such as octave information and harmonics, human ear resonant frequencies, and so on) and you can produce a masterpiece in a couple of seconds.

Whilst a bit of a sideways step for just a moment, Jon on the subject of 'cognitive science' (which is, essentially, the kernal at the heart of your question, you might be interested to dip into some of the past work of my old friend Dr Edmund Furse in the fields of knowledge acquisition and sentience. Link to 'A THEORY OF LEARNING AND MEMORY (1996) with links through to other related areas of his research work.

James

2 summers ago at Ojai an American was part of a French group. He was a programmer and got a year with Boulez and his group in Paris. During a long big group discussion which he'd been silent at he asked them if they wanted the computer to just do a set thing or to react to musicians....

Eveyone stopped and looked his direction and Boulez said "You can do that?' He was everyone's favorite lunch partner and he was taken to lots of great restaurants. His 1 year ended up being 5 years paid. He's now down at UC San Diego and still works with some of them.

The soprano sang things and computer added to and changed her voice depending on lots of variations. And she would adjust to it's effects. No 2 recordings would ever be the same. It was a wonderful Saturday night.

As to composing yes, music will come out but I think you have to have a soul and mind to give it that emotional merit. Tho I think many composers are souless now.

quote:

Originally posted by Geoff P:
I suppose some clever software guy could use the basic information about music construction to define some rules for creating tunefull note strings.

However it will be a bigger challenge to come up with lyrics for songs that make sequenced sense.

Computers already do that and yes, some of that music is 'great', but it is hardly the computer composing. The artist is the programmer and the computer merely the instrument. This question is a bit like asking if a violin could ever be a virtuoso. When such a time occurs that we create machines which of their own volition are moved to compose music, we won't call them 'computers'.