Music LLMs

 Excerpt Library (Music I)

The provided sources encompass a wide-ranging collection of texts addressing music theory, film studies, artificial intelligence, cognitive science, and cultural history.

Music Theory and Compositional Practice

These sources provide both historical and technical perspectives on the creation of music.

• Terence Dwyer offers a practical guide to musique concrète, focusing on using tape recorders as instruments to manipulate sounds through speed changes, reversals, and editing.
• Paul Hindemith details a rigorous system for two-voice composition, emphasizing the importance of tonal higher-units and degree-progressions.
• Igor Stravinsky reflects on the dogmatic element of order in music, arguing that composition is a work of selection and that music is "powerless to express anything at all" beyond its own form.
• Edgard Varèse advocates for the "liberation of sound," defining music as the "corporealization of the intelligence that is in sound" and viewing form as a result of a process rather than a mold to be filled.
• Scientific analysis of pop music reveals long-term trends such as the homogenization of timbral palettes and increasing average loudness levels.

Film, Sound Design, and Aural Experience

This category examines how visuals and sound interact to create narrative meaning and a sense of place.

• Walter Murch and Jay Rose discuss the art of editing and sound mixing, where Murch prioritizes emotion and story over technical continuity, and Rose providing "recipes" for effective audio post-production.
• David Lynch and Peter Greenaway describe the influence of painting and the subconscious on their cinematic narratives, with Lynch trusting the subconscious and Greenaway using systems like alphabets to structure his work.
• Claudia Gorbman and Marilyn Boltz explore the cognitive processing of soundtracks, noting that mood-congruent music can bias the interpretation of ambiguous film scenes and enhance memory retention.
• Research into urban soundtracks suggests that subtle acoustic strategies can transform city-dwellers from spectators into active participants in their environment.

Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science

These texts investigate the mechanics of the mind and the simulation of intelligence.

• Marvin Minsky presents the "society of mind" theory, proposing that the brain is a collection of assorted mechanisms (agents) that manage variety rather than following a single truth.
• David Cope details Experiments in Musical Intelligence (EMI), a program that uses algorithms to analyze musical styles and recombine elements into new, stylistically coherent works.
• Manfred Clynes introduces sentics, the study of "essentic forms" in time that capture the precision of emotional expression in music.
• Steven Mithen analyzes the evolutionary origins of music and language, suggesting they emerged from a holistic, manipulative communication system he terms "Hmmmm".

Cultural Studies and Media History

The sources also document specific cultural movements and the societal impact of art.

• Brian Eno’s extensive interviews and archives detail his development of Ambient music, his "Oblique Strategies" for overcoming creative blocks, and his collaborations with artists like David Bowie and Talking Heads.
• Jan B. Deregowski examines cross-cultural pictorial perception, challenging the assumption that perspective and depth cues are a "universal tongue".
• Chicago Tribune reports from late 2001 discuss how American culture reacted to tragedy, including the censorship of sensitive song lyrics and the role of artists in interpreting national trauma.
• Other texts cover the progression of pop singles in 1966, the history of No Wave nihilism in New York, and the mathematical symmetry in the works of J.S. Bach.

Excerpt Library (Music II)

The following is a list of the source materials provided, along with a brief description of the contents and themes for each:

• "12 Notes (Quincy Jones).pdf": A reflection on the author's early musical education and the importance of nurturing creativity. It explores the sociological origins of genres like bebop and hip-hop as products of "painful existence" and provides insight into the process of envisioning a life beyond one's immediate reality.
• "27 Club (Gene Simmons).pdf": This source examines the mythology of the "27 Club," looking at the lives and deaths of iconic musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. It discusses the role of psychedelics in the counterculture movement and the idea that drugs were viewed by some artists as a pathway to a "profound" reality.
• "Beethoven's Anvil (William Benzon).pdf": An investigation into the neurobiological and evolutionary foundations of music. It explores "bright moments" (altered states of consciousness) during performance, the concept of the self as a social construct, and the role of "musical memes" in cultural evolution.
• "Brothers (Alex Van Halen).pdf": A memoir focusing on the creative and personal bond between the Van Halen brothers. It highlights their high-energy performances and the "gift for getting people up and moving," while also touching on the complexities of the music business, such as contracts.
• "Burma's Pop Music Industry.pdf": An ethnographic study of the pop music scene in Yangon, covering local theories of talent, notation systems like "C Rule," and chord "families". It also explores how Burmese musicians conceptualize vocal tone and the "mood" of a song.
• "Burning Down the House (Talking Heads).pdf": This source provides a thematic analysis of Talking Heads' lyrics, particularly from the album Remain in Light. It explores David Byrne's portrayal of characters consumed by existential doubt and the "robotic" assembly of personality.
• "Color Codes--The Color in Music.pdf": Examines the relationship between visual color and musical tone, exploring theories by composers like Schoenberg and Scriabin. It discusses "chord colorings," the use of mood lights in performance, and the psychological impact of tone colors.
• "Comfortably Numb (Pink Floyd Biography).pdf": A biographical look at the creation of Pink Floyd's The Wall, focusing on Roger Waters' themes of alienation, isolation, and success. It details the construction of the character "Pink" as a gestalt of "dissipated rockers".
• "Conversations With Igor Stravinsky.pdf": A series of interviews where Stravinsky discusses his views on composition, jazz, and the future of music. He emphasizes music as a "logical discussion" of materials and expresses his belief that new music will continue to be serial.
• "Conversations with Artists and Musicians (1999).pdf": Features interviews with various creators regarding the value of art, nature recordings, and the role of intuition in composition. It touches on subjects ranging from "environmental projects" to the "pornography" of architectural magazines.
• "Every Good Boy Does Fine (Jeremy Denk).pdf": A pianist's memoir that explores the mechanics of harmony and phrasing through personal anecdotes. Denk uses travel metaphors to explain the "uncanny journeys" found in the works of Bach, Schubert, and Chopin.
• "Experiments in Musical Intelligence (David Cope).pdf": Details the development of "EMI," a computer program designed to analyze musical signatures and compose new works in the style of classical masters. It includes a debate on whether algorithms can truly create "expressive" music.
• "Fundamentals of Musical Composition (Schoenberg).pdf": A technical textbook that outlines the principles of musical organization, from the construction of motives and phrases to larger forms like the scherzo and sonata-allegro.
• "Future Sounds (David Stubbs).pdf": Profiles influential figures like Brian Eno and David Toop, discussing the evolution of ambient music and the breakdown of hierarchies in Western rock. It examines the concept of the "portable backpack-style studio" and the pursuit of new sonic environments.
• "Generating and Organizing Variety in the Arts (Brian Eno).pdf": An essay that applies cybernetic principles to experimental music, contrasting "rigid" classical organizational structures with adaptive systems that encourage variety.
• "How metaphor functions as a vehicle of thought.pdf": A theoretical article using Jack Ox's visualization of Kurt Schwitters' 'Ursonate' to explore transmodal mapping and "intermedia" as a necessity for knowledge building.
• "I Feel Love (Rachel Newer).pdf": Investigates the history and therapeutic effects of MDMA, covering its impact on empathy, its use in scientific trials, and its role in rave culture.
• "I Heard There Was a Secret Chord (Daniel Levitin).pdf": Explores the neuroscience of music, focusing on how music can increase empathy, the use of songwriting as therapy for trauma, and the difference between creative musicians and "mere technicians".
• "Individualist (Todd Rundgren).pdf": A memoir detailing Rundgren's prolific recording career and his use of the studio as an instrument. It explores his philosophy of constant creative change and the "calling" of being an individualist.
• "Music A Subversive History (Ted Goia).pdf": Argues that musical innovation frequently stems from "outsiders" and the oppressed, tracing the disruptive power of jazz, blues, and rock against traditional power brokers.
• "Music, Language, and the Brain (Patel).pdf": A comparative study of the cognitive and neural mechanisms shared by music and language, focusing on syntax, rhythm, and the extraction of emotional meaning.
• "Musical Creativity.pdf": A multidisciplinary anthology exploring musical creativity from philosophy, neuroscience, and computational modeling. It includes discussions on "flow," the co-evolution of "composers" and "critics" in artificial systems, and the "spectrum" of creativity.
• "Philosophy of Modern Song.pdf": Contains lyrical analyses of iconic songs by artists like The Who and Frank Sinatra, exploring themes of generational conflict, identity, and the "power of the sun" in a pair of blue suede shoes.
• "Playing Changes - Jazz for the New Century (Nate Chinen).pdf": Profiles contemporary jazz innovators like Steve Coleman and the "M-Base" philosophy. It also explores the impact of "The Real Book" on jazz education.
• "Poetics of Music (Stravinsky).pdf": Transcripts of Stravinsky’s Harvard lectures on the phenomenon of music, the creative process, and the necessity of "order and discipline". It includes his critiques of "revolutionary" music and the "synthesis of the arts".
• "Power of Music.pdf": Explores the biological and neurological basis of music, discussing the "Music Instinct," cross-cultural similarities in lullabies, and the role of improvisation.
• "Producing Pop (Keith Negus).pdf": A sociological analysis of the global recording industry, detailing the work of A&R, marketing, and the "webs of major and minor companies" that produce pop music.
• "Silence (John Cage).pdf": A collection of Cage’s lectures and essays on experimental music, chance operations (I-Ching), and the "affirmation of life" through noise.
• "Singing Neanderthals.pdf": Presents an evolutionary theory of music and language, suggesting they emerged from a common "Hmmmmm" system (holistic, manipulative, multimodal, musical).
• "Uncanny Muse (David Hajdu).pdf": Investigates the creative intersection of humans and machines, from early synthesizers like TONTO to the role of AI, deep learning, and "machine teaching" in art and music.

 Excerpt Library (Music Theory Articles 1979-1999)

Analysis of Experimental Notation and Applied Music Theory

This briefing document synthesizes insights from historical analyses of experimental music notation and pedagogical articles on music theory, specifically as applied to guitar and bass. It outlines the evolution of musical communication—from traditional staves to graphic indeterminacy—and provides a comprehensive overview of the theoretical foundations of Western music.

1. Experimental and Graphic Music Notation

Following World War II, progressive composers began to view the traditional five-line music staff as a restriction rather than a liberation. This led to the development of graphic notation, where the visual "musicalness" of the score often became as significant as the sound itself.

Key Figures and Indeterminate Compositions

• John Cage: Cage utilized chance and indeterminacy to erase his own subjectivity from his work.
  • "Variations I" (1958): Used six transparent squares (one with dots, five with lines) that created a score when layered in any combination.
  • "Fontana Mix": An elaborate system involving transparencies with dots, lines, and graph-like "staves" to derive coordinates for multi-channel cassette tapes. Cage described such scores as "a camera from which anyone can take a photograph."
  • "Reunion" (1968): A collaborative performance where Cage played chess against Marcel Duchamp. The board featured photo-resistors and contact microphones that triggered electronic music and lights based on the strategic movement of pieces—a concept described as "strategic synesthesia."
• Steve Reich: His work "Pendulum Music" (1968) consists of written instructions rather than traditional notes. Performers release microphones suspended as pendulums over speakers; the resulting feedback pulses change based on phase relations until the microphones come to rest in a continuous tone.
• Brian Eno: For "Ambient 1: Music for Airports" (1978), Eno created graphic notation to communicate visual impressions. He argued that traditional notation was limited to an era of few sound textures; in modern synthesis, a single sound involves "28,000 variables," making traditional notation inadequate.
• Krzysztof Penderecki: His composition "Polymorphia" (1961) utilized notation inspired by electroencephalograms (EEGs). The score emphasizes timbre over pitch, using "total pitch space" to guide 48 string instruments.
• Cornelius Cardew: His 193-page work "Treatise" (1963–1967) uses ambiguous shapes and symbols. Cardew asserted that "the notation is more important than the sound," requiring performers to devise their own interpretive rules.

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2. Fundamentals of Standard Music Notation

Standard notation provides a universal structure that allows music to be preserved and proliferated. However, for instrumentalists like guitarists, learning to read notation involves understanding the relationship between the staff and the specific physical layout of the instrument.

The Staff and Clefs

The musical staff consists of five lines and four spaces acting as a "stepladder" for pitches. Clefs provide the necessary frame of reference:

• Treble Clef (G Clef): Centers on the second line from the bottom, identifying it as G. Used for guitar, violin, and flute.
• Bass Clef (F Clef): The symbol centers on the fourth line, identifying it as F. Used for bass guitar, cello, and tuba.
• The Great Staff: A combination of treble and bass staves used for piano notation.

Challenges for Guitarists

Unlike the piano, which is "keyboard chauvinistic" (the layout matches the C major scale exactly), the guitar is ambiguous. A single pitch can often be played in multiple locations (e.g., five different string/fret combinations for the same E note). While tablature (TAB) removes this ambiguity by specifying the string and fret, it often fails to communicate the rhythmic time values or the harmonic relationships between notes.

Rhythmic Notation

Rhythm is a mathematical system indicating duration relative to a meter.

• Note Values: Duration is determined by the presence of stems, flags, and notehead fills (e.g., whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes).
• Dots: A dot adds half the value of the note it follows; a second dot adds half the value of the first dot.
• Time Signatures: The lower number indicates the unit of measure (e.g., 4 = quarter note), while the upper number indicates how many units are in each measure.

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3. Applied Music Theory: Scales and Modes

Scales are predetermined groups of notes that serve as the source for chords and improvisation.

The Diatonic Modes

Modes are derived from the major scale by starting on different scale degrees.

Mode	Starting Degree	Common Usage/Character
Ionian	1st	The standard Major Scale.
Dorian	2nd	Used in jazz; characterized by a minor 3rd and major 6th.
Phrygian	3rd	Distinctive dark, minor sound.
Lydian	4th	Major scale with an augmented 4th.
Mixolydian	5th	Major scale with a flatted 7th; foundation for dominant chords.
Aeolian	6th	The Natural Minor Scale.
Locrian	7th	Diminished character; built on the leading tone.

Specialized Scales

• Harmonic Dorian: A term used by some theorists (e.g., Herb Mickman) to describe a scale starting on the second note of a harmonic minor scale, useful for m7b5 (half-diminished) chords.
• Minor Pentatonic: One of the most common scales in modern music, consisting of five notes (1, b3, 4, 5, b7).
• Harmonic Minor: A major scale with a flatted 3rd and flatted 6th.

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4. Chord Construction and Harmonic Relationships

Chords are built by superimposing intervals, typically thirds. A triad contains three notes, while extended chords add 7ths, 9ths, 11ths, or 13ths.

The Four Basic Triads

1. Major: 1, 3, 5
2. Minor: 1, b3, 5
3. Augmented: 1, 3, #5
4. Diminished: 1, b3, b5

Chord Families

Most chords can be categorized into three primary families based on their characteristics:

• Major Family: Defined by the natural 3rd. Includes Major 7th, Major 6th, and "add9" chords.
• Minor Family: Defined by the flatted 3rd (b3). Includes m7, m6, and m/maj7 chords.
• Dominant Family: Defined by a major triad with a flatted 7th (1, 3, 5, b7). This family is highly versatile and frequently altered (e.g., 7b9, 7#5).

The Circle of Fifths

The Circle (or Cycle) of Fifths is a visual tool representing the relationship between keys and the movement of chords. Chords often progress in a clockwise pattern (e.g., C leads to F, which is the fifth of C in the context of the cycle). It is essential for understanding key signatures and standard progressions like the II-V-I.

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5. Ear Training and Transcription

Developing "relative pitch"—the ability to relate notes to a key center—is vital for transcribing music by ear.

• Tonic as Goal: The tonic (I) sounds final and motionless. Other scale degrees (II, IV, VI, VII) are "active" and tend to resolve toward the "goal" notes of the tonic triad (I, III, V).
• Directional Tendencies: Chromatically altered notes have strong tendencies: raised notes want to move upward, while lowered notes want to move downward.
• Roman Numeral Analysis: By identifying scale degrees as numbers (e.g., "V up to I") rather than specific notes, a musician can transpose melodies to any key with ease. For example, "Taps" consists of the sequence 5-5-1, 5-1-3, and 1-3-5.