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Similarly, in chemistry, the Greeks started out with the theory of atoms, they just called them elementals because they understood four fundamentally different substances, earth, wind, fire, and water. By the 19th century chemists like John Dalton had taken the Greek theory a step further and labeled atomics as carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, etc. Dalton had a much larger understanding of elements and following the intellectual fashion of that time, decided to ascribe values to these substances and assumed that 1 atom of hydrogen combined with one atom of oxygen to form water thereby he established his table with the reference of hydrogen (the most abundant element) as one for the standard reference. This was fine until the early 20th century when physicists figured out how to actually measure atoms. Nowadays we know that water is really H2O (2h for every 1o), in the early 20th century, Theodore William Richards an American chemist found a way to analyze compounds with incredible accuracy against impurities and discovered that atomic weights were not necessarily the quantity of molecules in each atom but rather the quantity of positively charged electrons per atom thereby discovering subatomic particles. Now, atomics had moved from chemistry to physics? He won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 1914. But in doing so, he created a contradiction for all of the decades of earlier work of chemists in trying to establish what would eventually become what we now know as the periodical table. In 1929 a compromise was reached and physicists’ agreed to allow the molecular weight of carbon (the most stable of elements) be set at a mass of 12.003803 (slightly off)? But, this allowed more accurate use of the table but more importantly, it made the stubborn chemists think they got their way in the argument! This was truly a win/win situation and this time with only decades of dissent?
What the hell does any of this have to do with music you ask? Well, it is a wonderful case study of the human condition that’s what. In song writing and composition, there are always different theories and approaches, many people may not know that some of the best song writing duos in the history of music frequently had disagreements’ and arguments about the piece they were working on, and many times, this was further influenced by the fashion of the intelligence of that time? Do you think John and Paul, or Mick and Keith, or even Robert and Jimmy always saw eye to eye? I would even go so far as to say that some of the best stuff to ever come from Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, or The Beatles was the songs that created adversity in the relationship! The point is, when writing songs or learning how to compose music with your band, learn how to use these differences to your advantage, don’t label every disagreement as dissension and friction, sometimes; an alternate point of view is healthy and can also be inspirational. The first Stone Temple Pilots album was written almost exclusively acoustic, when they went in to record the producer felt like the songs would be great amplified, electrified, and with loud intense effects to which of course the band was vehemently opposed, but we know the rest of that story? Just take the time or make the time to have consortium, nothing great was ever rushed and desperation rarely produces results, remember, if Irish philosophers, 19th century chemists and 20th century physicists could get along and agree, you can too, even if it takes a few measly decades, or centuries?
The Waiting Game
By R. Rohrer - Musician, bon vivant, and (by his own modest accounting) incredibly accomplished lover.
Music theories have a tendency to fit the intellectual fashions of the age.
For instance, between the 5th and 8th centuries, two Irish musician philosophers Dicuil and Sedulius understood the mechanics of music theory and harmony and even had names for the notion behind this known as “modulatio”, they had notes of ancient chants that were actually the beginning organization of a modern diatonic scale, and while they were brilliantly ahead of their time, they were in constant disagreement about tablature and notation. Some of their literature was actually confusing and contradictory. It wasn’t until the 8th century when Irish philosopher Sir John Scotus Erigena came along and was the 1st music authority to allude to discant and organum scales and theories, which subsequently cleaned up the aforementioned contradictions? It took only a mere two centuries for this to occur?
Posted on September 15, 2010
