Scientists Quantify Variability in Music from Bach to Jazz
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization have quantitatively analyzed over 550 pieces of classical and jazz music to measure variability in musical compositions. They found that the predictability of music, based on the autocorrelation of pitches, decreases abruptly after a certain time, with jazz improvisations generally being less predictable than classical compositions. The study revealed that compositions by Bach have shorter transition times to unpredictability compared to those by Mozart, offering more variability and surprises.