Will the world ever run out of original music?

Question

Theoretically, there should come a point in the future when new songs are difficult to write because everything has been written before (excluding lyrics). Are there an infinte number of musical compositions out there, or a finite number? Will we run out of original musical instruments? Are there only so many ways to create music?

Answer 1

Well, there are a finite number of notes on a piano, and currently there is a finite number of recognisable musical instruments, so it follows that there would be a finite number of combinations, but that number would be so huge that I doubt we would ever come to the final few combos before new musical instruments were invented, even new notes, not to mention different styles, tempos, etc.

Answer 2

music is just like maths there is indeed an infinite number of calculations you can make too.
Plus a lot of music like blues and country follow the same schemes over and over again but even there the lyrics change the solo's are different etc. I could let you hear at least 100 slow blues tunes that follow the same 12 bar scheme and still it sounds completely different than the rest of them each time.
My idea is as long as there are musicians there will be original music!!

Answer 3

It depends on your definition of 'music'.

If you limit yourself to the top 40, billboard-chart style pop music then I can't really answer but I would define music as the voluntary and involuntary modulation of frequencies - so my answer would be no, definitely not.

At the end of the 19th century, with the adventation of the Telharmonium and electricity - There were loads of scientists, thinkers and musicians who wanted to break free from the normal 'rules' governing music, how it is written, percieved, performed and reproduced. Its down to these people popularising the ideas and theories that we now have the idea of 'experimental' music which in theory means the creation and writing of music as we understand it is infinite. For example, one John Cage piece is supposed to be performed over 600 years, whereas metal band Napalm Death recorded a song which lasts for only one second.

Im in danger of writing a whole essay here, so I will stop but my answer would be no, we will never run out because every musical event can be described as different - depending on its placing on mankind's timeline!

Answer 4

Any chord progression or note sequence you play on any instrument, has been played somewhere, by someone at sometime. The thing is though that you can take a chord progression or melody and add other note sequences to go along with it or come after it on any other instrument thus turning it into a new tune. Every band is made from various musicians, who play in varoius syles with different technuiqes, so old songs can be messed around with then played in a different style and most non-musos wouldnt know.

Answer 5

In my opinion most songs I hear around are pretty unoriginal. Basically overproduced crap.

I do not think there will ever be a time when we run out of original music though, because we are ever creating new instruments and new ways to create music.

Answer 6

Where does music originate? In people. No two people are the same.

Therefore we will not run out of original music, but the quality might vary...

Answer 7

There are continually new techniques. it isn't the production of techniques that's the project. it fairly is people's willingness to open as much as new techniques which will deliver this international down. hi H should not be knowledgeable in music in any respect. that's the place the words remix, remaster, and plaguerize come from.

Answer 8

It never stopped Mozart making loads of music

Answer 9

I think they already have since every song now is just a remake of old stuff

Answer 10

TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There will a lways be a new way of saying things. New lingos new songs. Every year there will be a different way to say something, so it'll be da same songs but worded different.