music theory and science
20/11/12 21:27
Recently, I got some feedback from a well-known music theorist regarding the theory I'm developing, the Sound-Energy Aggregate. He agrees with the premise, of energy contours of individual parameters (musical elements like harmony, register, dynamics, and so forth) combining to create an aggregate effect in the mind of the listener. He points out, though, that the primary difficulty of developing the concept as a full-blown theory is quantifying the interaction of parameters.
While this is a valid point, it raises a whole flurry of thoughts. First, on the affirmative side, it means that although relationships may be difficult to quantify in their interaction, it's a fully agreeable, easy recognition of the concept's reality: music is multi-dimensional. It would seem to be actually testable in the classic (unreal) isolation of parameters, asking a lot of people about energy change during examples, etc. And I'll admit that I'd actually like to do that if I found the right partners to work with.
But it does strike me as kind of odd, and a bit unnecessary, to insist that a theory of music be produced and tested using the ordinary set of scientific methods. I am currently reading Northrop's Logic of the Sciences and Humanities, which admits to many means of pursuing inquiry. Might it be possible to create a means of creating and testing hypotheses using contemplative methods? Is the phenomenological necessarily beyond the realm of true science?
While this is a valid point, it raises a whole flurry of thoughts. First, on the affirmative side, it means that although relationships may be difficult to quantify in their interaction, it's a fully agreeable, easy recognition of the concept's reality: music is multi-dimensional. It would seem to be actually testable in the classic (unreal) isolation of parameters, asking a lot of people about energy change during examples, etc. And I'll admit that I'd actually like to do that if I found the right partners to work with.
But it does strike me as kind of odd, and a bit unnecessary, to insist that a theory of music be produced and tested using the ordinary set of scientific methods. I am currently reading Northrop's Logic of the Sciences and Humanities, which admits to many means of pursuing inquiry. Might it be possible to create a means of creating and testing hypotheses using contemplative methods? Is the phenomenological necessarily beyond the realm of true science?