Creativity

[gusl]

Consider the analogy:
music <-> software
music composition <-> programming / software design

visualizing this analogy, we extrapolate using concepts we know about music and software:

notes ~> commands / expressions (depending on the paradigm)
...
...
and so on until we reach an interesting idea
...
...
music reuse <- software reuse (INTERESTING IDEA)

Do composers reuse musical patterns from other pieces? Could this idea allow higher-level composition (meta-composition?)?

Is it perhaps the case that good composers are those who, though experience, learn to automate low-level processes, thus greatly optimizing their composition? If so, maybe computers can help the beginning composer be more like an expert.

What about the "visualization" that experienced composers have? I have a feeling that no computer visualization can be a substitute to the person's own image of the composition, but I remain a technological optimist by default.

we can then explore this idea:
music composition patterns <- software design patterns

Now we ask: patterns are both about the content of the software and the processes (sequences of steps, schedules, etc.) we use to create it. It seems that experts master these two skills. Can computers help us with them?


Marvin Minsky on creativity:

Could Computers Be Creative?

I plan to answer "no" by showing that there's no such thing as "creativity'' in the first place. I don't believe there's any substantial difference between ordinary thought and creative thought. Then why do we think there's a difference? I'll argue that this is really not a matter of what's in the remind of the artist---but of what's in the mind of the critic: the less one understands an artist's mind the more creative seems the work the artist does.

Comments

[techstep.livejournal.com]

I haven't seen computer-generated visual art that can fool people into thinking it was created by a human hand. Perhaps on a computer screen, and non-representational art at that (say perhaps something in the style of Rothko or Mondrian), but it seems difficult for a computer to replicate the physical character of a painting, or create one in a very realistic, representational style. I've seen computers render pictures in an impressionistic manner, but there's a difference between rendering and generating.

[gustavolacerda.livejournal.com]

Would the improvisation of a musical line (as in jazz, bluegrass, Irish music) given a theme be a rendering or a generation? This kind of thing seems fairly simple, and I believe it has been implemented successfully many times.

[techstep.livejournal.com]

I'd consider the creation of the improvisation to be a generation, and the actual playing of the impriovisation to be a rendering.

[drx.livejournal.com]

yes i would say that was a fair statement as improve, free jazz aside for now, is usually a 'take' on a particular piece and/or theme that has whatever randomness the artist(s) interject into become part of the 'improvisation'.

now in the case of free jazz, that's where those guys where actually trying to go in my opinion, out beyond logic. although i am not so sure whether any of them coltrane and coleman in particular would say that they succeded. my guess is the avergae person would say yes. *smile*

[drx.livejournal.com]

good point about visual art, i stated that badly, the music definitely has fooled folks but the art i am not sure, but there is computer generated art as shown above.

link to the program that made that: http://www.kurzweilcyberart.com/

[techstep.livejournal.com]

That's pretty impressive -- if I hadn't known a priori that it was computer generated, I would've thought someone had done this using any number of computer drawing tools.

I heard of this tool (or at least the research project), but not much in almost a decade or so.

And Kurzweil's poetry software is also definitely neat.

Re:

[drx.livejournal.com]

yeah apparently the stuff sells as "real art," but damned if i know what that is. *chuckles*

yeah sometimes i am not quite sure what to make of kurzweil.