Modern jazz derived from mathematical codes and sequences

 One for my dad (a musician) and for Darren (a maths teacher), from BoingBoing comes the new release from jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa:

"Codebook blends improvisational jazz with rhythms and melodies derived from beautiful mathematical concepts and equations -- while the drummer beats out hidden Morse Code messages (.mp3 - I'll be practicising this tonight!). ...Returning to the realm of number theory, the tune "Further and In Between" is based on the cyclical number 142857. Like all cyclical numbers, this one has some very strange properties; for example, if you multiply it by 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6, you get the same digits in a different configuration (for example, 2 x 142857 = 285714)."

As everyone who's seen me try to buy a round in the pub knows, I gave up maths early at school,
but had someone thought of linking jazz to numbers I might have paid more attention ;-)

More mp3s and the full article in Wired.

Comments

[karyn_romeis]

As I understand it, the link between maths and music has been known for a long time. The HoD when I was at college (who had a doctorate in music) told me about it, and mentioned some great classical composer (whose name now completely escapes me, but I think it might have been Bach) who expounded on this. He explained how the musical notation could be read much like algebra. He was a bit of a maths whizz, himself. I remember him waxing lyrical as he reduced a Bach fugue to mathematical equations.

I found his explanations enormously useful later when I was studying classical singing, for which I had to do music theory. Since I didn't play an instrument, and couldn't really read music in any meaningful way, I approached it as pure maths. I would be given a short piece of music notation, for which I was expected to write a harmony. My harmonies (worked out mathematically) were always adjudged by my teacher to be correct-but-boring. Understandable, really, considering I had no idea what they sounded like until he played them!

Numbers are wonderful things. They are neat - they always fit together in predictable patterns and they are either right or wrong. There is no ambiguity.

Pure. Clean. Beautiful. Just like music, really...

[Darren Kuropatwa]

Very cool. Thanks for the pointer Ewan ... this will add some spice to Pi Day (March 14; 3.14) ;-)