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ComputerPeople = MusicPeople ?

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by martman 2 views

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Hi All,

Hi Techies,

In my career as a Computer Systems Engineer over the last decade I have noticed a large number of Musicians working with computers. I have always thought this was because of the way that both computer systems and music require structure, order and creativity.

Has anyone else noticed this, or have any thoughts on the matter?

Regards..
Marty Lindsay
Editor
http://www.TheScriptLibrary.com

17 replies

by nicknielsen

There are 12 chromatic steps per octave: A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, and G#.

But I have also noticed that musicians seem to have a better grasp of computers than most people.

FWIW ;)

Edit: clarify

by locrian_lyric

and it's more than base 13.

It's base 8 for a standard scale, 13 for the chromatic and 6(?) for the whole note scale.

by boxfiddler Hot topic

Chromatic steps are actually half-notes. As I was thinking in terms of the 8 - note octave, I would have done better to say base 4 Math! Or base 7. lol

But why base 13 - base 2 is just that, 2 digits, base 10 = 10 digits, where's that 13th digit/step come in?

by older mycroft

"There are 12 chromatic steps per octave: A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, and G#."

WRONG.

There are 12 chromatic KEYS (that also happen to form the octave!) THEY however are:

A, Bb, B, C, C#, D, Eb, F, F#, G, and Ab.

There is no known occurrence of keys called A#, D#, or G#.

Old Mycroft - Grade VI piano.

by dadspad

The music industry is very hard to make a living in. But dedicated musicians have a need to play and develop. So,they are in all kinds of jobs.

I have met mecanical & electrical engineers and Restauant managers, among others, that are in this category. I once applied for a job with a medical device manufacurer, I was told that it was almost a requirement to love rock n roll to work there. The owners were rock performers and played rock music in the plant. My brother is a dedicated musician, it has been his passion since he was a teen, but his living money comes from air conditioning.

I feel really passionate and dedicated musicians of all types are more creative and ambitious; so they find creative ways to earn money to support there expensive habit. :D

by locrian_lyric

I went to a school that boasted a washout rate of 80%.

Of the 100 of us that started, the ONLY ones who finished were musicians... and one drummer :D (that's a musician joke, BTW)

What is a musical composition other than a program to be run by instruments?

A = 440 cycles/sec
A above a = 880 cycles/sec
a below a = 220 cycles/sec

8 notes in a scale
8 bits in a byte

Music: requires you to think in a different math base (typically base 8 or base 13)

Computers: requires you to think in a different math base (2, 8, 16, et cetera)

All the skills and brain function required to be a good programmer are also required to be a good musician.

by nicknielsen

for F# major or C# major.

Take your pick.

Granted, C# major is more often seen as Db major and F# major is more often seen as Gb major and nobody in their right mind except Charles Ives ever wrote in either. And there is some debate about Charles Ives' state of mind. :D

NickNielsen - Grade V piano, All-State trumpet

And I'm [u]not[/u] tone-deaf. Listen: A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-A-a! [Almost] Perfect 220!

Edit: clarify

by older mycroft

Why mention THEM, when I didn't question them?

Seems like a facile attempt to save grace.

Anyway, Grade VI was better than Grade V - let's have a playground fight.

by nicknielsen

C# Major -
C# - D# - E# - F# - G# - A# - C - C#

I mean, it would look kind of funny if the notation for the scale was C# - Eb - F - F# - Ab - Bb - C - C#, even though they are the same notes.

It's a technicality. As I said, almost anybody who ever used those keys had some sense and called them Db and Gb (it makes the notation SO much easier when you work in flats!). I've never seen either key used outside theory class or the works of Charles Ives, and thinking about playing any of his pieces makes my chops hurt 35 years after the fact.

by older mycroft

The whole basis for your argument is what the notation is when you play a single note instrument like a trumpet.

That, unfortunately, is not standard notation.

Any software that produces STAVES would prove the point, but since I play by ear I'm not familiar with the names of these software packages.

"Gb" - who are you trying to kid.

by nicknielsen

Please review http://musicarrangers.com/star-theory/p08.htm
and http://jmdl.com/howard/music/keys_scales.html.

But I was in error with my previous statement of "I've never seen either key [Db or Gb] used outside theory class..." I should have said "I don't remember seeing either key used..." This topic came up in discussion at work today. I was subsequently shown the sheet music for Derek and the Dominoes' "Layla," which is written in the keys of Db minor and Ab major. It's one of the very few I've seen in rock that strays far from A, Bb, D, F or G.

by boxfiddler Hot topic

As I realize that Wikipedia is not the FINAL (eny) word in anything, I have included a couple of other links. And while most classical pieces at any rate appear to use the (b) style notation in their titles, others use the (#) notation. Bach's work is for example is frequently listed as Sonata in C#... Technicalities aside, my piano certainly has those A#, D#, and G# keys. It is extremely difficult to look at those keys and think Fb, as opposed to F#. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromatic_scale
http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary/textc/Chromaticscale.html
http://www.ezfolk.com/guitar/Tutorials/Music_Theory/Chromatic_Scale/chromatic_scale.html

eny = emphasis not yelling
edit - typo sheesh I'm whupped of late...

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