Mathematical analysis of the relationship between notes finds similarities with rock and pop

A new mathematical analysis shows a surprising trend in the complexity of music such as jazz.

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A new mathematical analysis shows a surprising trend in the complexity of music such as jazz.

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Jazz and Western classical music are now more like pop and rock — at least by one measure. The melodic and harmonic structures of jazz and classical have become simpler over time , according to a mathematical analysis in the April 23 Scientific Reports .

“We are observing an evolution in music,” says Niccolò Di Marco, a computational social scientist at the University of Tuscia in Viterbo, Italy.…