Subject: Re: On the Grammar of Music From: Martin Braun <nombraun(at)POST.NETLINK.SE> Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 21:40:49 +0200Odd Torleiv Furnes wrote: "Surely there are rules governing the types of chords and types of chord progressions to be found within a certain style." Reply: There are no such rules. If there were, we could buy books which list the chord-progression rules, ordered by all styles that ever appeared in European music history. Such books, however, do not exist and will never = be possible. You never find rule consistency in European music, not within one histori= cal period, not within one composer, and often not even within one piece of music. There may be one general rule, however, one that existed at all times. Th= is rule appears to say: "Whenever you suspect that a musical habit might develop into a rule, break that habit - to keep your audience awake." THAT's how our nerves work. Martin Martin Braun Neuroscience of Music Gansbyn 14 S-671 95 Kl=E4ssbol Sweden nombraun(at)post.netlink.se ----- Original Message ----- From: O.T.Furnes <oddtf(at)imt.uio.no> To: <AUDITORY(at)LISTS.MCGILL.CA> Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2001 2:35 PM Subject: Re: On the Grammar of Music