Young Mathematical Nephew: Uncle Dan, if you want to write a great new song you should create an algorithm which takes in all the properties of songs that have been successes in the past, and use that to create new songs scientifically.
Me: That’s a great idea, but what about novelty? It seems like people are always looking for something new in music. How could you possibly account for that mathematically?
YMN: You would include novelty in your algorithm. Anyway, Uncle Dan, you’d be surprised how few things are really new. Most things that seem new actually already existed.
Me: Okay, maybe that’s true. But if mathematicians could make better songs than musicians, how come it’s always the artsy musician types who write the great songs, and not the mathematicians?
YMN: Because the mathematicians haven’t thought of it yet!
Image from “The Kentuckian,” Thomas Hart Benton, at LACMA
5:22 pm on 8/14/11
Isn’t Benton a fabulous artist? (Did you sneak this shot? Or maybe they allow photos of the permanent collection.) Nice combo of image and writing. I was at LACMA last week. What a great museum.
Have a wonderful time in Merry Ole.