3 ms·

Yeah, I was just riffing in that paragraph. To riff further-- writing a modulation is a subset of writing a piece. If we were to quantize modulation "styles" t

Yeah, I was just riffing in that paragraph. To riff further-- writing a modulation is a subset of writing a piece. If we were to quantize modulation "styles" to match, say, a set of DAW operations in a dropdown list, we've made the work of writing a piece easier. We extend that ease for each aspect of music-writing that gets a similar dropdown menu in the UI. That ease accelerates the production of music. I find it fitting on HN to insist the common practice period was comparatively unproductive and inefficient. :)

PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
OK, I still don't understand. Are you suggesting that modulating between keys was sufficiently difficult for (say) Brahms, Beethoven or Wagner that they would try to avoid it? That seems quite contrary to my understanding.
- jfengel 6y ago
  It's not difficult, exactly, but there are only so many ways to do it well. You can, of course, just start writing different notes, which sounds jarring. There is a whole theory of "voice leading"[1] which provides a toolbox of nice-sounding ways to get from key to key, with various emotional and textural elements attached to each. (Some if it, I note, is called "Neo-Riemannian theory"[1], which does in fact relate to geometry but is wholly unrelated to Bernhard Riemann.) You don't actually need any of that theory. You can just compose by ear. And some of that theory has been known since the Middle Ages. But the "classical" era composers worked very hard on pushing the state of that art -- some of which can now be autosuggested by composing software. Which is especially nice when you're doing it for an entire 100+ piece orchestra. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_leading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_leading [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Riemannian_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Riemannian_theory

PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago

OK, I still don't understand. Are you suggesting that modulating between keys was sufficiently difficult for (say) Brahms, Beethoven or Wagner that they would try to avoid it? That seems quite contrary to my understanding.

jfengel 6y ago
It's not difficult, exactly, but there are only so many ways to do it well. You can, of course, just start writing different notes, which sounds jarring. There is a whole theory of "voice leading"[1] which provides a toolbox of nice-sounding ways to get from key to key, with various emotional and textural elements attached to each. (Some if it, I note, is called "Neo-Riemannian theory"[1], which does in fact relate to geometry but is wholly unrelated to Bernhard Riemann.) You don't actually need any of that theory. You can just compose by ear. And some of that theory has been known since the Middle Ages. But the "classical" era composers worked very hard on pushing the state of that art -- some of which can now be autosuggested by composing software. Which is especially nice when you're doing it for an entire 100+ piece orchestra. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_leading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voice_leading [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Riemannian_theory https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neo-Riemannian_theory