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Music and Code: More Similar Than We Think?

4 points by velocitatem 2 years ago · 5 comments · 1 min read


I've always felt a subtle connection between the logic-driven world of coding and the emotion-rich experience of enjoying music. They both seem to dance on the fine line of structure and freedom. This sparked a thought - does my enjoyment of music sharpen my coding skills? Or does the analytical nature of coding enhance my appreciation for music? I'm curious to know if anyone else here finds a similar correlation between these two :]

progfolio 2 years ago

Be specific. You don't really give any examples for why or how one would influence the other. If you've got both bouncing around in your skull, of course they do. It's a question of how and to what degree.

It's also interesting that you've framed it as "enjoying music" (consumption) and "coding" (production). Would "enjoying software" make one a better musician or composer?

> They both seem to dance on the fine line of structure and freedom.

This could apply to almost anything.

broadwayinc 2 years ago

I am (or was) a professional music producer, had great carrier in my 20s ~ mid 30s. Also produced couple of national hit songs with famous singers (South Korea). Now I'm working on my own company as a CEO and lead server engineer. I can surely tell you, coding is more like an art than science. If you deeply know how to 'enjoy' good music, that, can also make you a good music producer as well. What makes a great music? is having a same lame solid pattern and structures over and over again but able to implement unusual unpredictable element at some points. And I believe that approach also applies when writing a good code as well.

velocitatemOP 2 years ago

Some interesting takes: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/composing-code-why-musici_b_1... https://www.birdwellmusic.com/articles/the-relationship-betw...

cloogshicer 2 years ago

I have similar feelings. I think programming is much more art than science.

There's a talk by Rich Hickey where he compares programming languages to musical instruments:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCwqnjxqfmY

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