Re: [microsound] math anxiety

["<<< audi sensa >>>" <audisensa@xxxxxxxxxx>]

> >It would be difficult to suggest that Tuvan or Tibetan throat singing is
> >mathematical, although you could certainly use math (in part) to describe
> >the phenomena, but that doesn't describe the experience. ...
>
> Exactly.  Math is a man-made system that can be used to describe the world
> but the world itself is not "made-up" of math.  Many people seem to
confuse
> the model for the real thing.
> Likewise music can certainly be described by math and one can choose to
> create a piece of music completely from math.  But it would be a mistake
to
> say that math is *behind* all music.  There is a relationship but I think
> it's important to remember in which direction the relationship goes.

i'm gonna highly recommend again, the short document titled "The Twins" in
Oliver Sacks "The man who mistook his wife for a hat". the experiences of
these twins is in a way, i think, a challenge to the idea that math cannot
actually be *experienced* outside of it's own language. these two severely
autistic brothers haven't a clue as to how to perform basic mathematical
functions like even addition and subtraction, yet they seem to have this
very direct inner *experience* of incredibly complicated mathematical
processses. i can't accurately describe it, but it was the impetus i think
for that scene in rain man with the toothpicks. obviously though, it goes
into much greater detail - oliver sacks is a fantastic writer.