What Pi Sounds Like 178
I've always loved generative music, and this guy used Pi as the basis for his composition. I'm not saying it's as good as Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber or something, but it's a great way to get ready for Pi day which is tragically still not a federal holiday. Write your congressman.
And thank god for that (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not saying it's as good as Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber or something
And thank god for that...
Re: (Score:1)
Imagine the love child.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
That would require that one of the two be male. Looking at the two of them, I'd say it's more likely to be Gaga.
I submit that the unmet requirement is that one be female. Believe it or not, Justin Bieber is male (I know, I forget that sometimes, too), and there is ample internet evidence that Lady Gaga has a penis [google.com].
from TFA (Score:3)
The most impressive way to not get laid.
Holy crap, I'm doomed!
I turned "Hello World" into an experimental track [soundcloud.com] by translating the phrase into morse code and using it as a synth buzz beat hook...
Re: (Score:3)
what's this WHY IS MY FOOT TAPPING OH GOD
Nice beat.
--
Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING. And what the hell is wrong with yelling?
Re: (Score:3)
Clint Mansell - Pi * r ^ 2 from the soundtrack of Darren Aronofsky's Pi [imdb.com]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Cq_QO_4Cx4 [youtube.com]
Clint Mansell [clintmansell.com] has done all of Aronofsky's music from the been-used-everywhere Lux Aeterna [youtube.com] of Requiem for a Dream [imdb.com] to Black Swan [imdb.com].
Oh, shameless plug, if you guys are into electronic music, here's a ton of free albums from my friends at Electronica Manila:
* QED Records - Free Electronic Music Netlabel [valdellon.com]
* Electronica Manila: One [valdellon.com]
* Elect [object404.com]
Re: (Score:2)
Rush did that with YYZ didn't they? Although, with the Morse for YYZ, rather than "Hello World"
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re:And thank god for that (Score:4, Interesting)
Warning. Shameless plug.
If you're into generated music, then you'll probably like auto-composed tone-matrix music. I just happen to have written a game that does that :)
Do you know John Conway's Game of Life [wikipedia.org]? It's a cellular automata game. I've combined that with a standard tone-matrix interface to create music that essentially breeds new generations of itself.
And, just to make sure that pseudo-chaotic music actually sounds good, I framed everything in a pentatonic scale.
If you're interested, check out Harmonium [slashdot.org] on Xbox 360 Live Indie Games.
Re: (Score:2)
And here is another example of transcendental numbers in music. This one was created in the early 1970's by Conlon Nancarrow, a composer who essentially created a parallel form of "electronic music" by using heavily modified player pianos instead of electronics. He was born just a little bit too early, but the concepts are extremely similar to what people do in sequencing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXFiq19-KSE [youtube.com]
This one is designed to have two melodies, one in which each measure takes pi inches of player
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
that isn't something any composer should consider their high hurdle for artistic success.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
Since Pi is an irrational number, it should sound rather gaga [reference.com]...
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
The statistics are true, the conclusions are not. You have to look into the other side of the issue. For example, a black person is twice as likely to fail a polygraph than a white person when both are telling the truth. A black person is three times more likely to get jail time than a white person when at court for the same crime, dressed in the same clothes, with the same number and type of priors. A car of white teenagers are twice as likely of having some form of illegal drugs in the car, but a car of b
Re: (Score:2)
Indeed, that is a good question. What can be done? It does seem that politicians do thrive off of divisions not unity. From a political standpoint, I think voting reform would go a long way to help. Instant Runoff Voting, where voters can vote for a whole list a candidates in a preferred order, seems like it would take a lot of the partisanship bite out of politics. This way we wouldn't have to narrow down the choices between candidate A and B and watch them wrestle to the death. Instead could vote for a wi
Re: (Score:2)
Wow, you read that article about dealing with trolls too huh?
Perhaps you have converted the "Black" troll to the side of good with your effort of talking about the issues.
Re: (Score:2)
By the way, EVERYBODY is originally from Africa. Whites moved out of Africa earlier, and interbred with Neanderthals.
Hard n Phirm - Pi (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
That would be irrational; pi is always sung in a round.
Any random numbers would produce the same result (Score:5, Insightful)
Any random notes from a clearly defined scale (e.g. C major) paired with triadic chords from the same scale will sound vaguely pleasant.
Thus, this is not "what PI" sounds like as much as it's what C major sounds like.
Re: (Score:3)
Any random notes from a clearly defined scale (e.g. C major) paired with triadic chords from the same scale will sound vaguely pleasant. Thus, this is not "what PI" sounds like as much as it's what C major sounds like.
In a similar spirit, I once wrote musical representations of quantum algorithms [quantenblog.net]. I played around with various scales, and it turned out that the best sounding scale actually depended on the algorithm. But then of course the underlying data was not nearly as random as pi.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That's kind of like saying that all J. S. Bach themes in C major are the same and you're hearing C major more than Bach. :)
Re: (Score:2)
I think his point is that you could pick any complicated number (e, sqrt(2), or a completely random number), and get exactly the same kind of emotional response.
Re: (Score:2)
Base 7 (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
If they play it backwards doesn’t it summon "Evangelical Christian believers in Fact-free science"...
Re: (Score:2)
yes, but you need to start at the end.
Re: (Score:2)
especially true for pi base pi.
Re: (Score:2)
But 3 is still 3 when played backwards...
I'd say base-12 makes more sense. (Score:3, Informative)
"The twelve-tone equal-tempered scale is the smallest equal-tempered scale that contains all seven of the basic consonant intervals to a good approximation — within one percent."
http://thinkzone.wlonk.com/Music/12Tone.htm [wlonk.com]
Convert pi to base 12:
PI in base_12 = 3.184809493b9186459aaa3a83 (approximation)
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread352234/pg [abovetopsecret.com]
Now play 3.184809493b9186459aaa3a83.... as keyboard notes.
Why lock to a scale? (Score:2)
It feels a bit like cheating to generate music from a stream of numbers by consciously coercing them into our preconceived ideas of rhythm and scale.
We're often told that music has a strong mathematical foundation, so why not try to find the music in (say) pi from more fundamental maths.
So rather than think in terms of a C major scale, think in terms of frequencies -- how long do you make the virtual string, and how long do you wait before plucking it again? (extensible to all kinds of virtual instruments,
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I like base 16 in light of the BBP formula [wikipedia.org]. The formula gives base 16 digits of pi, without computing the previous digits.
And leading to spigot music.
Pi is wrong. (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:2)
I propose twoday today where we write down that specific constant as 2Pi.
Re: (Score:2)
I propose twoday today where we write down that specific constant as 2Pi.
or we can call it pipi
Goes good with longstockings.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sure it's all accurate and such, but skimming down the page, I couldn't help but be reminded of TimeCube!
Re: (Score:2)
cool number bro
(Yeah, going by C/r and 2*pi is nice and probably the better way but meh.)
Re: (Score:2)
That was funny. I was initially concerned that it was meant to be serious.
Re: (Score:2)
Summary: Everywhere[1] you actually have to work with pi, you always need a factor of 2. Pi is only half the circle because the circumference is divided with the diameter instead of the radius as it should have been. Using 6.28... as the circle constant would simplify and tidy up all formulas and help students understanding the concepts.
[1] Except for the area of a circle, where the '2' is actually omitted by pure luck.
I suggest a complete compilation. (Score:1)
Of the long numbers, not just the irrational ones. That way you could include say, Avogadro's.
Re: (Score:2)
The Avogadro piece would only be 24 notes. Or did I just explain the joke? Doh!
Date of Pi Public Holiday (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
Given the state of education and the sophistication of the unwashed masses as whole, I would say the only result would be vastly increased sales for CoCo's and Marie Calender restaurants.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
s/in Europe/everywhere else in the world other than the US/
Re: (Score:2)
22/6/2011 !?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
That was my thought too! Pi Day isn't until 2016! (3/14/16) Or maybe that's the 2000th anniversary of Pi Day.
Of course 3/14/1593 was a good day also. And 3/1/416.
What about Mole Day? (Score:1)
Resetti (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Not a bad idea for a day but I'd suggest we're probably best off by agreeing on advocating just one day of constant celebration and focus our energy on that one, and I think Pi day is more likely to happen.
Why Pi? It's simpler to grasp as a mathematical concept (remember- we're talking about lawyers here...), and it's taught at a rather early grade in geometry so we can use it to advance math and science education.
Re: (Score:2)
Pi in the round? (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
in the round
As it should be!
-l
...really.. (Score:1)
I'm not saying it's as good as Lady Gaga or Justin Bieber or something
And I am not saying this is news...when did slashdot become blogger...
WRONG! (Score:2)
PI sounds exactly like 3.
Also, if I kick up the bass can I make is sound like e?
As good as Justin Bieber? Really? (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
S0 where the beetles, the sex pistols, nirvana and many other 'original' bands
Re: (Score:2)
Did it ever stop?
Re: (Score:2)
I'm sure the author was being entirely serious.
Beats at least one (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
SO how much Justin Bieber have you listened to?
piaku (Score:2)
I like pi.
Yeah
It's pretty cool
tragically still not a federal holiday. (Score:2)
Who benefits from Federal holidays apart from Federal and maybe state employees?
The rest of us don't get a day off.
And Federal Holidays tend to be Mondayized anyway, to make it a long weekend. 3/14 may fall on a monday this year, but most of the time they wiuldn't have it observed on the right date.
Matematically challenged. (Score:2)
There are any number of mathematical problems with his composition that an extremely picky person could point out.
1. Since there are 8 notes in an octave, maybe he should have used a base 8 representation of PI rather than a base 10 representation
2. Notes in a scale are logarithmically spaced, so maybe he should have used log(PI) represented in base 8.
3. A full octave is a factor of 2 in frequency, so maybe he should have used log_2(PI) represented in base 8.
4. The entire composition could be simplified
Re: (Score:2)
Base 7 over 8 would be more suitable as the diatonic scale has 7 notes. You counted the first one twice (the octave), but they are the same note.
But perhaps we should go the whole hog, and say base 12 to use the full chromatic scale.
Good idea, but too rigid and underdeveloped. (Score:2)
The piece could use modulation, instead of sticking with C major, which renders it rather boring. The PI theme could be interpreted with respect to other modes as well (minor, for starters). More material could be generated by using additional manipulations of the PI theme. The canon idea worked out, as well as playing a parallel voice at a slower multiple of the tempo. That still leaves tricks like inversions and reversals. You could always "mine" PI for more notes, of course. The chosen theme doesn't alw
Approximating Pi (Score:2)
Correction: In all states except Indiana (Score:2)
0 as rest (Score:2)
Summary stinks (Score:2)
Cool project though this may be, the summary was patently unnecessary - obvious troll (of the anti-mainstream and anti-RIAA types common on Slashdot) is obvious.
Summary stinks (Score:2)
Cool project though this may be, summary seems to be a blatant troll of the anti-mainstream and specifically anti-RIAA attitude common on Slashdot.
Indabible (Score:2)
In Indiana they have it on the zeroth of March.
Re: (Score:3)
What he's playing is just a steady stream of quarter notes that get overlaid with straight eighth and sixteenth notes later on. There's absolutely nothing interesting happening from a rhythmic perspective at all. No syncopation, no rests, nothing. Just bars full of quarters, eighths, and sixteenths. Disappointing. You could do a whole lot with pi rhythmically, too.
So do it
Re: (Score:2)
What day would that come out to be for an annual event?
The 3rd day of the 14th month?
Maybe the 31st day of the 4th month?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
MM/DD makes sense, and is probably the origin of MM/DD/YY (which does not make sense otherwise). Unfortunately, all of the formats that do make sense are tougher to interpret at pi day, etc.
However, unless I'm filling in a form that expects mm/dd/yy(yy), I use yyyy-mm-dd (or for some international usage dd-mon-yyyy) so there is no confusion.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
DD MM YYYY makes more sense than MM DD YYYY.
Arbitrary representational system is arbitrary.
Re: (Score:2)
Some representation systems are more arbitrary than others; if you can memorise a system by rationalising it, it's clearly less arbitrary.
For example, you could settle on a postal address scheme that goes person -> number -> street -> town -> county -> country; it's an arbitrary choice to start with the smallest unit, but it makes sense. Starting the other end makes equal sense: country -> county -> town -> street -> number -> person.
It would be more arbitrary to shuffle one of
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
pi is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter.
e is the number such that the value of the derivative of the function f(x) = e^x at the point x = 0 is equal to 1.
Now which number do you think has the better marketing plan?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
From the above you find that e = Lim (1 + 1/n)^n where n approaches infinity.
e pops up in the class of formulas used to represent the shape a chain takes from the force of gravity when supported on its ends. (The Catenary [wikipedia.org]).
The derivative of Ce^x (where C is a constant) is itself. The only class of functions with that property.
The number r*e^(ix) is the polar f
Re: (Score:3)