Abstract:

There have been a number of interesting applications of A-Life in music, ranging from associating musical notes to the cells of cellular automata, to forging genotypes of musical parameters for generating music using genetic algorithms. From the three approaches surveyed in this paper, only the cultural approach allows for the study of the circumstances and mechanisms whereby music might originate and evolve in virtual communities of musicians and listeners. This approach considers musical systems in the context of the origins and evolution of cultural conventions that may emerge under a number of constraints, such as psychological, physiological and ecological constraints.