62.7.19.126;2002-08-13;no-email;Guess who! ;^) I'm just about to write the part of my e-mail reply which is related to this article- I expect it to take me a little while! Seeya!
(Banebou);Irrelevant - as all tunes are as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|;;;
64.12.102.33;2002-08-17;no-email;There probably has been some very good music out there..but some idiot in the music bussiness went and messed it all up s and turned it into trash.;Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|I haven't the foggiest|I don't know precisely what you mean|I didn't really consider it before2 - but your article makes sense and I therefore believe in Universal Aesthetics|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Definitely not|;;;
65.33.165.143;2002-08-26;no-email;I don't understand why you asked if I believe in God. Is that to say, if I believe in science I don't believe in God? This troubles me.;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|I haven't the foggiest|;;;
217.233.112.117;2002-08-30;no-email;You made me laught with you damn "Finally, do you think God exists?" question. =P
Datschge;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fascinating|Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
64.171.15.70;2002-09-04;no-email;no-comments;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Most likely not|;;;
198.81.16.48;2002-09-09;no-email;if inddeed there was a univerasal aesthetic, then the implications would be far reaching as to the theory of universal grammar and other topics of universality. ;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|I don't know precisely what you mean|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
66.183.64.245;2002-09-21;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Definitely not|;;;
194.251.240.107;2002-09-29;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
12.255.171.19;2002-09-30;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|I didn't really consider it before - but I don't really agree and I therefore believe in Relative Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|A bit boring|Definitely|;;;
142.177.212.112;2002-09-30;no-email;Even though I don't agree with the Universal Asthetics theory, I found your article interesting to say the least. I'd be interested to see how you'd rate Spiral Architect (a band that plays in a very complex and very mathematical way). Thinking about it more, I think a certain level of universal asthetics can apply in some situations, but by no means in all situations.;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Definitely not|;;;
206.65.74.202;2002-10-09;no-email;i feel that good music cannot become broken down by mathematics because music is more than chord and rhythm structure. music is emotion; it is attitude; it is a way of life. music will forever be a mystery much in the same way the human span of emotions will always be a mystery.
i really enjoy the theory that you present. also, the way that you try and see both sides is comendable.
Christopher
chrismtml a_t yahoo dotcom;Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Utterly absorbing|I haven't the foggiest|;;;
206.67.167.19;2002-10-12;no-email;no-comments;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|I haven't the foggiest|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|A bit boring|Definitely|;;;
198.45.9.126;2002-10-15;no-email;Are you paid well?;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Possibly|;;;
65.138.109.76;2002-10-27;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|I haven't the foggiest|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|I haven't the foggiest|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fascinating|Definitely|;;;
62.53.58.44;2002-11-11;no-email;This is an admin test, so it's the page's author speaking :) Thanks for all your entries - it's always interesting to see the results. I might as well vote once myself... after all, it is my poll ;) ;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Utterly absorbing|Most likely|;;;
150.131.130.225;2002-11-15;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Most likely|;;;
66.199.19.194;2002-11-18;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Most likely|;;;
141.219.85.93;2002-11-18;no-email;no-comments;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
207.69.180.173;2002-11-24;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fairly interesting|Possibly|;;;
12.26.131.91;2002-12-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|I haven't the foggiest|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
12.224.77.188;2002-12-04;no-email;What a fantastic site! I use it with my middle school students. Thank you!;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Utterly absorbing|Definitely|;;;
208.40.136.138;2002-12-06;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|I haven't the foggiest|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Utterly absorbing|Definitely|;;;
203.54.206.180;2002-12-15;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Definitely not|;;;
65.93.141.129;2002-12-18;no-email;I'm not really sure at which point in the article you made what could be considered a "point" independant of simply stating your own opinion. In an article claiming to argue in favour of universal aesthetics this seems like a significant oversight. The only argument you give is that somehow because certain chords are "better" than other chords (an opinion) it follows that certain music could be "better" than other music. The fact that you spend not one line trying to justify your "superior chord" assertion is really unfortunate seeing as it's completely absurd. That you further would fail to set up a reasonable argument as to why your first erroneous statement would even imply, let alone prove your overall argument even if it were true is really just piss-poor logic. I really think you need to educate yourself a little more about this subject before you go making these sorts of claims. I would suggest reading things like Kant's "critique of aesthetic judgement", or Wittgenstein's "on certainty", or, as you seem to be fairly scientifically minded, you may want to read up on Kurt Godel's theorem and how it relates to mathematical proof. I think there are very important things about the nature of proof and opinion that you have failed to grasp. Everywhere throughout this essay are your own opinions trying to masquarade as objective (your statements about what constitutes a good picture are particularily inane, I suppose pictures of waterfalls are "objectively better" than,say,a work by Rembrant which lacks every single one of your criteria, and there are plenty more examples) If you want to try to prove that anything is objectively right or wrong, good or bad, beautiful or ugly, or suchlike you have a lot of work to do. The best minds of all time have tried to come up with objective standards of these sorts and have all failed. You haven't even added anything to the debate, besides rehashing mid-70's ai speculation
Jamie Thompson
uninteresting_name a_t hotmail dotcom;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|A bit boring|Most likely|;;;
203.198.24.4;2002-12-20;no-email;10: Christian God does NOT exist since it's logically self-contradictary. Beside,to be consistent; if that is indeed true; the basic premise of philosophy of science would be wrong--- pretty much everything.;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fairly interesting|Definitely not|;;;
66.74.221.1;2002-12-24;no-email;have you ever, even just once in your life, tried thinking critically about anything? i've looked over your web page and you should try it some time.;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|A bit boring|Most likely|;;;
216.135.243.254;2002-12-31;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
205.188.209.108;2003-01-02;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|I haven't the foggiest|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
209.196.118.162;2003-01-16;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Utterly absorbing|Definitely|;;;
62.252.64.7;2003-01-25;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Utterly absorbing|Definitely|;;;
80.134.241.66;2003-01-26;no-email;This is truly a great web site. :);Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fascinating|Possibly|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|I didn't really consider it before - but I don't really agree and I therefore believe in Relative Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|I haven't the foggiest|Fairly interesting|I haven't the foggiest|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|I didn't really consider it before - but I don't really agree and I therefore believe in Relative Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fascinating|Most likely|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Possibly|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Possibly|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|I haven't the foggiest|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|I haven't the foggiest|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fascinating|Definitely|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Definitely|;;;
205.247.227.142;2003-02-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
134.121.53.86;2003-02-08;no-email;It is inspiring to see a non relativistic view on music. However, I think you have oversimplified certain things that need to be acknowledged. First of all, I hope you would agree that descriptions of a perfect system of music could not give us a prescripitive definition of good music. What 'is' is not what 'should be.' This leads to the problem of defining 'good.' It is clear that the harmonic series for example, with its implied consonance and dissonance, is very objective and is one basis for what many would call quality music. The fibonacci sequence and the golden mean, and other mathematic, objective phenomena have been shown to have interesting realization in music. However, this is what 'is.' If music is going to have an autonomy that is neccesary for a judgment of quality, these things have no weight when it comes to judging music. This, I think, can apply to all mathematical laws: They can never show quality without a substancial addition of value from somewhere else. This is very important. A composer who, for example disregards all mathematical basis for music still has a possibility to create quality music. Furthermore, if an attempt at an analytic, mathematical system is tried, it will be subject to Godels' incompleteness proof, something I will not explain here.
Rather, the value in his composition, I think, lies in the ability of communication, moral weight and other considerations that not only have nothing to do with an 'objective law of quality' but also how we percieve the piece itself. Any judgement based on experience is fundamentally subjective, and therefore cannot be justified objectivly.
Any aesthetic theory that hopes to gain universality must keep in mind both the source of quality in the single occasion as well as in general.
Another difficuly with this somewhat static notion of objective quality is the limit it seems to put on itself, even in theory. Take for example, God's string quartets. It would seem that if there is an empirical definition of quality, then God could write the perfect string quartet. However, it is much more likely that God could write an infinite number of perfect string quartets. Regardless of the actual existence of God, the logical possibility of such a thing implies that perfection is really overrated, and that is not what any composer cares about in creation.
Lastly, if anyone actually made it this far, the quality of chords is more complex than just an internal quality. Everything in music is related to everything else. One horrible chord be itself might be the perfect chord in relation to another. One simple melody might be a transfiguration of another one, thereby increasing its complexity through relation.
This leaves me with a number of factors that prevent me from accepting this objective theory: the difficuly of objectifying 'good' (I am still open to universal subjectivity), the priority of the composer's intent, the logical possibility of a boundless perfection, and the dialectical and relational aspect of musical phenomenon. It is exciting to see this sort of theory presented, however, and I would be interested in others opinions about all this. Aaron
aahayes a_t hotmail dotcom
;Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Most likely|;;;
170.12.149.1;2003-02-12;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Definitely|;;;
146.232.65.7;2003-02-18;no-email;no-comments;Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|I haven't the foggiest|Fascinating|Definitely not|;;;
65.94.205.78;2003-03-05;no-email;Wow, it's great to have stumbled upon this article by accident. It's also nice to re-affirm my own views-I uphold that taste is far from subjective (or insofar as one's experiences affect one's possible tastes, and that people have bad experiences that probably foreshadow their tastes. There is so much really interesting, emotive, affecting, stimulating music out there. But there are an equally number of alienated, distanced, desensitized, boring individuals who will never pass into the realm of the truth in aesthetics. People devote their entire lives to expressing their visions of truth, while others try to make a fast buck. Unfortunately, some people are disillusioned by an idea that the realm of aesthetics can exist alongside the latter, exploitative (fast-buck) scenario. Our highly standardized Western music industries aretestament to the fact that those in charge willing to preserve their wealth do not want their people to be exposed to the truth that exists in art; in music; in aesthetics; in knowledge; in experience; in the INDIVIDUAL.
But I believe the truth will come out (as it did in the 60's in popular music).
Thanks for your time,
dan;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fascinating|Possibly|;;;
64.252.0.19;2003-03-17;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Utterly absorbing|Definitely|;;;
62.251.90.129;2003-03-23;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Definitely not|;;;
204.187.140.114;2003-03-25;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|;;;
192.30.226.25;2003-03-25;no-email;This is the sort of brain wave that I
have been looking for on the net.
The only way we can figure this out
is to jump in and do it ourselves.
We must create programs to generate
music and then try to figure out why
the results are so bad, then build
on them. But we can only do this
by starting from scratch and build
on what you learn. I don't think
it can be figured out as a thought
experiment.
think you can figure;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fascinating|Definitely not|;;;
217.208.216.247;2003-04-11;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fascinating|I haven't the foggiest|;;;
12.228.240.154;2003-05-03;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fairly interesting|Definitely not|;;;
212.126.158.76;2003-05-12;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Utterly absorbing|Definitely|;;;
132.206.3.69;2003-05-14;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
207.172.11.148;2003-05-25;no-email;no-comments;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Possibly|;;;
200.67.96.192;2003-05-27;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - I somewhat doubt a 'soul' really exists|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fascinating|Most likely not|;;;
205.184.174.37;2003-05-29;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Definitely|;;;
213.130.159.101;2003-06-05;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Fascinating|Definitely|;;;
68.69.107.88;2003-06-09;no-email;no-comments;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|I haven't the foggiest|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
202.49.5.18;2003-06-11;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fascinating|Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
66.130.15.172;2003-06-17;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fascinating|Definitely|;;;
81.132.39.217;2003-06-20;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|A bit boring|Definitely|;;;
220.43.76.140;2003-06-30;no-email;I think your sticking your neck out a little as any true artist knows. I wonder if you've tried yourself? Enjoy boxing magic, or are looking for ideas through button pushing? If so, nice pushing. I do it too.;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|A bit boring|Definitely|;;;
220.43.76.140;2003-06-30;no-email;They already have math formulas for music!;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|A bit boring|Definitely|;;;
152.163.252.37;2003-07-06;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Possibly|;;;
150.176.212.10;2003-07-10;no-email;no-comments;;;;
150.176.212.10;2003-07-10;no-email;no-comments;Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Utterly absorbing|Definitely not|;;;
150.176.212.10;2003-07-10;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|I didn't really consider it before - but I don't really agree and I therefore believe in Relative Aesthetics|Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|I don't know precisely what you mean|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
12.218.179.201;2003-07-12;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Utterly absorbing|Definitely|;;;
152.10.35.110;2003-07-18;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Possibly|;;;
202.133.177.60;2003-07-23;no-email;no-comments;Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Most likely not|;;;
65.206.46.225;2003-07-26;no-email;no-comments;Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fascinating|Most likely|;;;
12.215.64.237;2003-07-27;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Fairly interesting|Definitely|;;;
80.194.132.35;2003-08-04;no-email;no-comments;Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|No - math formulas and science could not explain music|No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Fairly interesting|Possibly|;;;
203.199.213.3;2003-08-18 05:38;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=A bit boring|God=Most likely not|;;;
62.0.66.77;2003-08-21 01:25;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Possibly|;;;
67.107.55.2;2003-08-26 17:43;no-email;I think that mathematizing music takes the soul out of it. I believe that some music is intrinsically bad--garbage--but when it comes to comparing Bach to Mozart--well, one man's taste is the best. They are both talent incarnate. Greenday versus the Offspring? What do you like? Bartok, by the way, makes splendid use of dissonant chords.;Standard=Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Reconsider=No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
202.131.124.213;2003-09-04 16:11;no-email;If you tune a 7-string electic Guitar in the format of A,B,C,D,E,F,G, from top to bottom or vice-versa instead of the Standard one-{E,B,G,D,A,E} & then strum all the strings without holding any note or a chord, then which chord/note will IT sound like or be closer to?
Please do let me know at-
IMNEO1 a_t Rediffmail dotcom
-----------------------------------;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fascinating|God=Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
216.39.208.158;2003-09-05 23:06;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=I didn't really consider it before2 - but your article makes sense and I therefore believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely not|;;;
66.185.84.197;2003-09-21 02:11;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
81.96.131.80;2003-09-30 00:03;no-email;NTM UK
composer producer UK
www.ntmusic.org.uk
ntmusic a_t ntlworld dotcom;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
172.196.202.175;2003-10-05 05:16;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
66.252.45.7;2003-10-06 03:11;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=I didn't really consider it before2 - but your article makes sense and I therefore believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely not|;;;
152.163.253.99;2003-10-19 00:18;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
209.180.241.170;2003-10-20 20:25;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=A bit boring|God=Definitely not|;;;
203.147.0.44;2003-11-04 06:28;no-email;Interesting and thought provoking article but I feel my answers or not good because the questions and given answers do not cover enough options. Maybe a 'other' block would be good so opinions can be offered.. My stand is this however...it is difficult to talk in terms of absolutes because each and every moment is interdependent with the time, the place, the mood, along with other factors such as society, peer pressure etc, and that the same music heard with variable factors will effect ones perception of it. To give you an example - music I listened to and thought was brilliant 20 years ago, I may view now as mediocre, or indeed, still brilliant but not to my taste.
I am just getting involved in thinking about the aesthetics of music as I am hoping to start a Phd in composition..which lead to other issues. I would be open to further debate on this topic. My email is npfduggan a_t hotmail dotcom
Well done in anycase for the stimulating page.
regards
Nick;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
216.229.222.1;2003-11-07 15:25;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
195.92.67.66;2003-11-21 00:56;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fascinating|God=Most likely|;;;
168.229.4.3;2003-12-04 18:57;no-email;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely|;;;
138.87.240.85;2003-12-06 19:16;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
80.242.32.51;2003-12-17 14:56;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=I didn't really consider it before2 - but your article makes sense and I therefore believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely not|;;;
12.77.239.132;2004-01-13 03:58;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
207.81.110.217;2004-01-20 03:08;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=I haven't the foggiest|Reconsider=No - I still think think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fascinating|God=Most likely|;;;
144.136.5.43;2004-02-09 07:27;killer article! it's really got me thinking about the way music is put together, and gives a whole new outlook as to how the world of music works.;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Possibly|;;;
156.108.101.178;2004-02-09 21:10;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
128.36.51.114;2004-02-11 06:54;no-comments;Standard=Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Most likely not|;;;
131.111.8.96;2004-02-15 01:59;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=A bit boring|God=Most likely not|;;;
152.163.253.99;2004-03-04 01:51;Great theory But why did you ask about god on # 10 do you believe the stars form a mathmatical pattern to heaven that proves that it exist? ;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
151.203.198.205;2004-03-11 05:04;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - I somewhat doubt a 'soul' really exists|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely not|;;;
66.32.247.214;2004-03-16 02:11;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
208.63.118.144;2004-03-25 03:55;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely not|;;;
24.160.4.16;2004-04-06 06:33;I'm amazed to find someone backing a universal aesthetic with such vigor. Cheers to you!;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=I haven't the foggiest|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
213.42.2.28;2004-04-09 11:04;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=I haven't the foggiest|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|;;;
213.42.2.29;2004-04-09 11:05;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=I haven't the foggiest|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|God=Definitely|;;;
68.172.11.112;2004-04-16 01:24;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Formula=I haven't the foggiest|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely|;;;
210.50.216.13;2004-04-29 02:48;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=Most likely|;;;
196.40.60.42;2004-05-14 21:09;an only audible perfect sound made everything from Gods Mandate,read about it;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
208.25.243.137;2004-05-27 13:53;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
68.105.45.80;2004-05-30 09:01;This was amazing..I'm 19 years old and have always had this feeling inside of me that told me that the reason we like certain songs is because they each demonstrate some quality that is similar to the "perfect" song that is somehow stored inside of our souls. I had NO idea other people thought along these lines. Amazing...it makes me feel inspired to delve intot his subject deeper.
Brandon
brockestdeus a_t aol dotcom;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=I haven't the foggiest|;;;
68.123.92.79;2004-05-31 14:13;hi -
I found this page to be an interesting, math-centric version of my own perspective. The problem is that quality in art is comprised of two primary components. One is universal, and eternal, that is to say, not time specific.
The second, however, is relational - by which I mean specific to it's place upon the linear progression of art.
It's rediculous for me to even begin commenting. The subject requires a good 100 pages.;Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
68.48.49.0;2004-06-07 19:54;It's always fun to tell people that their opinions are wrong, and if I can do it without sounding like a jerk, all the better!
;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely not|;;;
152.163.252.198;2004-06-23 19:10;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
24.30.14.156;2004-06-27 22:03;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=I haven't the foggiest|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=I haven't the foggiest|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely not|;;;
212.219.207.40;2004-06-28 09:45;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely not|;;;
24.20.64.175;2004-08-28 00:15;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=I haven't the foggiest|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=I haven't the foggiest|;;;
68.2.156.33;2004-09-01 09:55;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
66.74.61.63;2004-09-13 05:50;Too many differing opinions for there to be a "Perfect" piece of music or art. Everyone likes different things.;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely|;;;
210.50.244.18;2004-09-16 15:11;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely not|;;;
195.184.109.162;2004-09-25 11:02;I take the concepts of God and Soul referred to in the questionary to be part of the all/nothing that makes up all existing dimensions/realities - I most strongly believe/experience the nature of existence as non-duality. Made me happy to read this article, thanks!;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=I didn't really consider it before2 - but your article makes sense and I therefore believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=Definitely|;;;
218.218.190.96;2004-09-26 08:16;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=Definitely|;;;
24.18.123.112;2004-10-12 23:23;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fascinating|God=I haven't the foggiest|;;;
66.53.201.56;2004-10-16 20:42;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
65.209.84.121;2004-10-17 19:27;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
195.184.109.162;2004-10-18 20:12;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
24.235.236.35;2004-11-13 00:45;I think this is a pretty linear and limited approach to looking at art and music, both of which have hyperlinear possibilites.
I also find it unfortunate that you miss the physical aspects of how humans are able to interpret sound and visuals, which is critical.;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fascinating|God=Most likely not|;;;
203.219.222.80;2004-11-15 09:00;I was amazed that you said that "Music based around a scale of 12 equal spaced notes to the octave" was a requirement for music to be 'good'. this disregards microtonal compositions, as well as the music of many other cultures.;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=I haven't the foggiest|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=A bit boring|God=Most likely|;;;
68.226.175.131;2004-12-06 04:04;Great article. I had a huge problem with people saying that an expert in music has no more valuable opinion than someone who's never studied the art.;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=Definitely|;;;
157.22.96.154;2004-12-23 22:09;I am (quite) less proficient in music, but I enjoyed your notes on learning a difficult piano piece, and felt encouraged to keep practicing. Then I browsed through your other posts, and found this article and survey. ;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - I somewhat doubt a 'soul' really exists|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely not|;;;
205.188.116.11;2004-12-24 23:52;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fascinating|God=Possibly|;;;
205.188.116.11;2004-12-25 00:11;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fascinating|God=Possibly|;;;
84.66.219.206;2004-12-29 23:19;There were infinate perfect tunes until the beatles came and they took them, improved and exhausted the supply;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
64.229.25.203;2005-01-14 04:38;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes2 - but since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, any possible formula would need to different for every person|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely|;;;
195.93.32.10;2005-01-17 17:39;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fascinating|God=Most likely not|;;;
70.18.203.250;2005-03-24 01:06;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|;;;
70.18.203.250;2005-03-24 01:08;I think complex classical music comes closest to perfection.;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
66.211.233.30;2005-03-28 23:46;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
68.54.114.143;2005-03-29 03:31;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=No - math formulas and science could not explain music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fascinating|God=I haven't the foggiest|;;;
170.215.97.195;2005-03-31 02:24;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=I haven't the foggiest|;;;
80.45.154.121;2005-04-05 12:49;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely not|;;;
64.59.52.86;2005-04-07 20:19;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely not|;;;
12.221.84.240;2005-04-09 15:20;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
68.158.211.7;2005-04-17 01:21;no-comments;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Possibly, but I doubt it|;;;
84.234.150.206;2005-04-17 13:59;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|;;;
82.32.241.181;2005-04-19 12:04;Hi. I work at a sound engineering college in Plymouth, UK and also study Music Technology to degree level. Part of my course is to study the philosophy of music. I must say I completely disagree with you - music to me is non-aesthetic - but was interested to read your piece. I find your views reflect the snobbery that surrounds musical composition and often stifles those that would otherwise produce revealing and challenging musical works. You have said that a good piece of music is formulaic but some of the best recordings I have heard and done have been so good because of the element of human error - a slurred phrase, a dropped note - and the very humanism embedded in the work can make it so much better than something you would judge as aesthetically good. Anyway, I think this arguement is redundant because music is about feeling - it is unquantifiable and the endeavour to quantify it is not only hopeless but pointless. Thanks for adding to the debate! Chris, PS Your last questionnaire question asking about God is pretty narrow. I don't believe in any of the God's religion would offer so I would have to say no, but I do believe in what I would call a 'universal energy theory' which uses science to create an underlying spiritual backdrop to everything around us, so if you mean do I believe in something other than born/live/die/the end then yes. ;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
209.6.25.117;2005-04-23 02:29;Here is a hypothetical (even if not ethical by some standards) experiment that could test if there is a "universal" aesthetic of music (at least among humans):
Prevent a large number of children from ever hearing any music of any sort. When they have come of age, put each person in the center of a circular room whose circumference is covered with loudspeakers. Play different styles of music, at equal volumes, in each one of the speakers. Have the test subject listen to the music and decide which is best.
One of 3 things will happen:
1. Each style of music was rated equally by all people of all ethnic backgrounds.
2. Members of each ethnic group show a strong preference for a particular type of music.
3. All test subjects show a trong preference for a particular type of music.
Number 1 would indicate that a person's musical taste is entirely determined by cultural factors. Number 2 would indicate either that people have a genetic predisposition to prefer a certain type of music, or that a person's musical preferences are somehow determined by non-musical elements of that person's culture (language, cuisine, etc.). Number 3 would indicate that all humans have a tendency to prefer a certain type of music, which is obscured by cultural conditioning.;Standard=Yes2 - there's a lot of room for improvement for even the best tunes ever composed|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=I haven't the foggiest|;;;
70.18.180.90;2005-05-01 02:53;submitted by Mark L. Melcher
mlmelcher a_t verizon dotnet;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=Definitely|;;;
65.10.179.217;2005-05-07 02:40;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fascinating|God=I haven't the foggiest|;;;
24.23.190.242;2005-05-10 10:25;is this supposed to be advanced?;;;;
66.207.113.110;2005-05-18 15:32;links I would be greatful, ;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Yes - I now think there's a very good chance it might be true|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Most likely|;;;
205.146.38.65;2005-05-19 14:00;why don't you make this page a little more fun/intactive for kids or adults;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Sort of - maybe a finite number of equally perfect tunes exist|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of pictures are 'ratable'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely|;;;
212.100.250.214;2005-05-25 21:01;You limit your argument by confining it to a "tune" - what about complex organisation of sound and harmony and key as in fugue or sonata form, tone colour, dynamics, etc. Things are much more complex.;Standard=Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Hmmmm - 'on the fly' calculation of the music is probably only performed in the brain - I'm not too sure about a soul|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=Yes - a perfect tune really exists and is waiting to be discovered|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely not|;;;
128.195.64.98;2005-06-02 20:40;no-comments;Standard=Nah - all the best music has already been thought up or is at least close|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Yes - a very complex undiscovered math formula could explain the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely not|;;;
70.105.109.131;2005-06-02 22:58;I doubt there could possibly be a formula for creating the "best music"
since music can branch off into several differant styles, that when mixed just don't work. I believe music can be rated on theuse and collaboration of consonant sounds to create a certain flow to the song. ;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=Yes - some people have better or worse taste in music than others|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Most likely not|;;;
68.216.187.41;2005-06-06 01:56;I know God exists, and music can reach the soul, but - is there really 1 PERFECT tune out there?In heaven maybe, but on earth... I dunno. It depends. A really pessimestic person that hated music may not like a/the "perfect tune," assuming there may be one or more.;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Sort of - maybe some if not all aspects of music are 'ratable'|Soul=Kind of - the brain interprets the sound and translates a new signal to be sent to the soul|Reconsider=Sort of - I certainly see some valid points you have made that supports Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Sort of - certain aspects in music could be reductionable - but not all|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Utterly absorbing|God=Definitely|;;;
80.3.160.7;2005-07-18 23:09;no-comments;Standard=Yes3 - a bit - there could certainly be room for improvement for the even the best tunes|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely no such thing as a transcendental 'soul'|Reconsider=No - I still think the Relative or Subjective Aesthetics view to be true|Perfect=No2 - and this question is irrelevant as I only believe in subjective aesthetics|Formula=No2 - since I believe in Subjective Aesthetics, and I don't think this is compatible|Art=No - the quality of a picture is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Article=Fairly interesting|God=Definitely not|;;;
71.100.18.203;2005-07-26 18:47;no-comments;Standard=Yes1 - music could exist and be indescribably better than anyone has made or heard so far and it would be incredible to hear|Taste=Sort of - only certain aspects in music can anyone claim to have better or worse taste|Universal=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure how good any tune is - it still has a 'rating'|Soul=Yes - all or most musical enjoyment is derived once the music reaches the soul - The ear and brain only mostly act as a transmitter|Reconsider=Not applicable - as I already believe in Universal Aesthetics|Perfect=No - there are an infinite number of 'perfect' tunes|Formula=Well yes - but maths and science will probably never be able to come close to explaining the best music|Art=Yes - even if no-one knows for sure, all pictures have a 'rating'|Article=Fascinating|God=Definitely|;;;
81.129.0.157;2005-08-03 20:22;no-comments;Standard=Irrelevant - as all tunes are ultimately as good as each other since I believe in the relative aesthetic theory|Taste=No - everyone's opinion on music is equally valid as everyone else's|Universal=No - the quality of a piece of music is subjective and each opinion is equally as valid|Soul=No - everything is limited only to electromagnetic activity inside the brain - There's definitely