Re: Patterns and Meaning in Music
Posted: Thu Nov 25, 2021 7:49 pm
Right. So, in order to do that, we should discuss the Phenomenology of Music. What is it that makes an audible signal (let's stick within the domain of music through Sound) to be perceived as Music?Soul_of_Shu wrote: ↑Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:35 pmMea culpa I suppose for not being more articulate about what I'm wishing to express and explore here (perhaps should have opted for the topic-specific section), which is to carry on from Ashvin's essay (linked to above), to make a demonstrable case that music is somehow immanently isomorphic to the fundamental, primal ideation/logos of Mind, as per the mythos that the 'Creator' sings the world into existence. I was also hoping that JeffreyW would chime in to give his take on 'music' being isomorphic to the most fundamental emanations of energy, or not as the case may be, beyond which we dare not ponder. In any case, I'd prefer that the thread not be filled up with re-postings of our favourite tunes.
It has Harmony, someone might say.
Ok then, what is Harmony? One might define it as "the combination of simultaneously sounded musical notes to produce chords and chord progressions having a pleasing effect."
So, what are notes? One might say that "they are pulses of a specific temporal density , and if one density is twice as large as another it's precieved to be the same note, (but a different octave)"
Also, we note that what is perceived as a harmony is culturally specific.
Ok. Cool. We now have pretty good understanding of what a musical harmony is. Now, is it necessary for Music to have Harmony? Is there cases of Music that lack harmony? That's an interesting quesiton which we could discuss for a long time, Let's say we conclude that Music Has Harmony. Cool. Then let's turn our gaze towards our ever-elusive primal Ideation. From what we have grasped so far of it, is there some phe omenological aspect of it which is similar to Musical Harmony? Some collection of thought patterns that - when experienced together - are experienced as pleasing? Did someone find anything? Ok .cool. someone did. How about the cultural aspect of this collection of thought patterns you found? Is it possible that other cultures might not find this collection of patterns pleasing, and they would perfer a different collection?
Super interesting discussion.
Let's pick another one. How about Rhythm. Well, we notice that rhythm ALSO is a collection of pulses of specific temporal density. But these are much more sparsely spaced, and there needs to be a regularity in them in order for them to be called Rhythm. Actually. That's not Rhythm. That's just Beat. Rhythm requires something else. It requires Grooviness. What makes something groovy? I don't know, but maybe seomeone else knows.
Ok. Now let's take a look at our Mind again. Do we see any similarities?
Now, I think this is really interesting. I would Love to have 15 pages of this stuff to flip through. And I personally don't care ONE IOTA whether someone thinks i'm being a dualist while i'm doing it. Because it's meaningful to ME in MY quest for better understanding MY place in the Mysterious Emptifulnes. MY guiding light shines THIS way, asking for MY attention.
So, yeh. I'd love to chat on this topic. But I'm not going to spurt out my ideas in a vacuum where noboty connects.