John Carlos Baez on Nostr: nprofile1q…80tj7 - I enjoy talking about and listening to talk about music theory. ...
nprofile1qy2hwumn8ghj7un9d3shjtnddaehgu3wwp6kyqpqyq8furek5hckhxjaayvuz9ht9nv0kuup5l9sej4l2fa256anaq3se80tj7 (nprofile…0tj7) - I enjoy talking about and listening to talk about music theory. Instead of talking about how music makes us feel, this lets us talk about the mathematical patterns we find in music, which are really quite remarkable.
Of course we can't say the presence or absence of these patterns makes music good. But we don't need to! The patterns are themselves enjoyable to think about, and if we compose or improvise music (as I do), they give us extra tricks to use.
For example:
"A major triad on the tonic with a flat sixth" is a precise description of a chord. If you try to describe the "mood" of this chord you'll be frustrated: it's beautiful, memorable yet ineffable. But if you know music theory you can read those words and hear the chord in your mind.
Of course we can't say the presence or absence of these patterns makes music good. But we don't need to! The patterns are themselves enjoyable to think about, and if we compose or improvise music (as I do), they give us extra tricks to use.
For example:
"A major triad on the tonic with a flat sixth" is a precise description of a chord. If you try to describe the "mood" of this chord you'll be frustrated: it's beautiful, memorable yet ineffable. But if you know music theory you can read those words and hear the chord in your mind.