What is it about?
The paper reports on two generative techniques, rule-based and genetic algorithms, as they apply to musical melodies. The appropriateness of these algorithms in contributing to well-formed melodies was judged by aesthetic criteria. The results indicate that most combinations of rules, mutations and evolutionary selection result in poor or average melodies. However, the that careful combination of these techniques can generate melodies that are not simply well-formed but in many cases display some elegance and novelty.
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Why is it important?
Understanding the connection between generative techniques and their outputs helps us understand the principles of music and aesthetic appreciation more broadly.
Perspectives
In the final analysis, the differences in algorithmic character were not so much between rule-based and evolutionary processes, as they were between random and deliberate construction and elaboration. Deliberate rules or mutations alone were too often unsurprising, while random generation or change usually led to inappropriate results. The outcomes of either process benefited by checks imposed by fitness selection that constrained inappropriate mutation and that filtered out unsatisfactory results.
algorithmicmusic@gmail.com Andrew R. Brown
Griffith University
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This page is a summary of: An aesthetic comparison of rule-based and genetic algorithms for generating melodies, Organised Sound, August 2004, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s1355771804000275.
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