Why use computer programs to make music?
Although we may not always be aware of the fact, we use tests, algorithms, and routines in our thinking constantly. Often the use of an extremely convoluted predetermined algorithm makes our life easier and more productive than constantly devising new solutions to problems. Here’s an example: A pianist is sightreading and sees the four-note chord C-E-G-B. What she does not and cannot do, if the tempo of the music is at all quick, is read each of the four notes, find each one on the keyboard, and determine the appropriate finger with which to depress the keys. Here is a highly unscientific approximation of what might actually pass quickly through her mind: “A four-note stack of thirds starting on C with no accidentals. [This information comes from a visual test. The location of the bottom note is known to be C, and the formation of the dots is stored in memory as a stack of thirds or a seventh chord. The algorithm is something like “If it’s a four-note stack of thirds it is a seventh ch
