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SUMMARY:Evolution of Musical Scales - John McBride\, postdoctoral research
  fellow at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology in South Kor
 ea
DTSTART:20211118T110000Z
DTEND:20211118T120000Z
UID:TALK166009@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Xi Zhang
DESCRIPTION:One of the most universal features of music is the constructio
 n of melodies using a restricted set of pitch categories – i.e. musical 
 scales. Despite this universality\, we know little about how scales have e
 volved\, cross-culturally. Some analogies can be drawn between the evoluti
 on of scales and biological evolution: they both involve linear sequences 
 of discrete units\; these units undergo random change and directional sele
 ction. Scales are more complex in the mechanisms of change: in biology the
 re are a limited set of changes (mutations\, insertions\, deletions\, inve
 rsions)\, while scales can be created entirely anew without reference to a
 ny previous template. However\, the possible space of scales is tiny (typi
 cally 7 or fewer notes\, just-noticeable-differences of at least ~5 cents 
 results in millions) compared to biological sequences (a protein with 100 
 amino acids can have any one of 4300 sequences). Further\, there are some 
 proposed theories on how scales are selected. It thus ought to be possible
  to study their evolution\, yet there are only a few quantitative studies 
 of the evolution of scales. To study of the evolution of scales\, we first
  scoured the ethnomusicological literature of the last century to assemble
  a cross-cultural database of scales. The data point to convergent evoluti
 on\, which is clear evidence of selection pressures. We then consider a se
 t of selection biases\, and test (using a generative inference approach) w
 hich hypotheses may best predict the distributions of scales. Finally\, we
  think about how the different forces (physical\, perceptual\, cultural) i
 nvolved in drift and selection may vary considerably between and within so
 cieties\, across geography and time.
LOCATION:CMS Computer Room\, Faculty of Music (11 West Road\, Cambridge\, 
 CB3 9DP) Zoom meeting   https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/95274848632?pwd=M1hWOV
 VyeXZZOHFFT0YrdDF6WnRqZz09   Meeting ID: 952 7484 8632 Passcode: 677829
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