Bill Pirkle wrote: >My generated music works on this principle: > >It uses the approach taken by those who photograph models for magazine >covers. The model does not pose, she (or he) begins a series of movements >with her body, throwing her hair back, smiling, twisting, throwing her arms >up in the air. The photographer is busy rapidly taking photographs of her. >Then, the photographs (usually 36) are developed and laid out on a table. >The photographer then looks for that great picture that could have never >been posed for. The camera caught her head going back, with her hair in >the air, and that certain look in her eyes and that certain smile at just >the right time with her body and arms in just the right position. Please-- this analogy between classical music composition and photography doesn't work. With the photograper and model, you begin with a beautiful subject; the experienced and tasteful photograher establishes the setting and lighting; the movements of said subject are NOT random, but constrained by the possibilities of the human anatomy and the experience and intelligence of the model as to what is beautiful. This then is followed by the judgement of the photographer from among his limited choices, and further enhanced by how he prints, crops, etc. It sounds to me more like the analogy you want is an infinite number of monkeys banging away at typewriters in hopes of composing King Lear. I hope your program is more intelligent than that! And by the way, Beethoven et al didn't generate long lines of music randomly and stumble across tunes that pleased them; they had specific shapes in mind. While Mozart may have had a genius for instinctively finding the melodies that met his intentions, Beethoven had to struggle to find the right choices--but in both cases, and I'm sure in most others, there was a meta-composition each composer was striving to fill out with melody, harmony, rhythm, etc. If your program begins with such a meta-composition--either internally or supplied by the user, then there's a chance it can create decent music. Assuming, of course, that the program is smart enough to know what musical elements to use to achieve those desired effects. And since the desired effects, at least in the music that is most appealing to CM lovers--18th to early 20th Century -- are EMOTIONAL effects, whether or not anyone is willing to name said emotions, if your program can do that, then you, too, would deserve the accolade with which Schumann greeting the appearance of Brahms (Or maybe it was Chopin), "Hats off, gentlemen: a genius!" Good luck. Dave Wolf [log in to unmask]