[seqfan] Re: Need suggestions for test for compatible sequences for "voice leading"

[Alexei Kourbatov]

Caveat I
Testing just a pair of sequences is not enough; we would also need a test
for 3, 4, ... sequences simultaneously. Indeed:
(A) compatible with (B) AND (B) compatible with (C) does not necessarily
imply
(A) compatible with (C)
Even when all (A), (B), (C) are pairwise compatible, they may or may not
form meaningful 3-note chords once the three sequences are combined together

Caveat II
Also, such a "voice leading compatibility test" would necessarily be
subjective. Here is why:
To accomplish such a test one needs to infer at least two things:
(1) the musical key signature - it is not encoded in the sequences per se
(2) our tolerance to dissonance among voices (how often and for how long
dissonances are allowed to occur)

Both (1) and (2) are judged only subjectively (although the key signature
for long enough sequences of chords could be deduced with near certainty,
provided the chords are "musical enough")

(Just my two cents)
A.



On Thu, Dec 3, 2015 at 8:19 AM, Neil Sloane <njasloane at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Seq Fans,
>
> In musical theory there is the concept of voice leading
> (see  http://music.stackexchange.com/questions/14779/what-is-voice-leading
> )
>
> Question: suppose we made a series of two-note chords by combining two
> sequences A and B. Can one formulate a test to see which pairs of sequences
> (A,B) are compatible, i.e. satisfy the rules for voice leading?
>
> Best regards
> Neil
>
> Neil J. A. Sloane, President, OEIS Foundation.
> 11 South Adelaide Avenue, Highland Park, NJ 08904, USA.
> Also Visiting Scientist, Math. Dept., Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ.
> Phone: 732 828 6098; home page: http://NeilSloane.com
> Email: njasloane at gmail.com
>
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