Name that tune in 4 notes?

[jazzking]

Just wondering this...
If you heard the first 4 notes of , say, Beethovens 5th G G G Eb, do you think you might recognise the piece?
Now, what I'm saying is this. A finite number of notes in a scale. Millions of pieces of music, yet despite the mathematics of it all, we have such an enormous range of music. Can you think of any other melodies that might start with the same 4 notes?
Perhaps it is the length of the notes, dynamics or whatever variables, but why don't we run out of notes when we think of composition?
Is music based on plagarism, manipulation of styles, or something else.
Chew on this one..
Jazzman.

[Matt]

Ooh...deep...
1) I'd say that with some pieces the first four, or even three notes can give away what the piece is. I expect that somewhere out there another piece starts with G G G Eb, but everyone knows that 'da-da-da-daaaaah' sound.

2) Alot of the time there is more than one part to a piece. There may only be 12 notes available to you, but this can make 12x12 variations if there are two parts, 12x12x12 variations if there are three parts etc. - then there are the other factors such as note length, from a double-dotted breve (when you sit there for hours playing one note...) to a staccato hemidemisemiquaver (only playable at molto larghetto...) . And this is only for one note - a piece has hundreds of notes most of the time so there are millions upon millions of combinations. Mr Hickman, a teacher at my school, once told me that there are more possible games of chess then there are atoms in the universe - this can't be proved, but there are over 400 combinations after both players move once. There are only 32 pieces on the board remember...

3) There will always be a bit of copying but most people can think of something original for the hook of a piece - you don't have, for example, G F# E D EE in any other music than we will rock you. I kinda think that you can use any other music you have available to you as long as the bits people remember are original.

[musicfan]

I'm always amazed by the number of different tunes that appear at the beginning of all the "Learn to play the [insert intrument here]" books.
They usually only introduce 3 - 5 notes and there's a whole bookfull of tunes! OK they're all a bit twee, but then what do you expect for 3 notes? The point is, they all sound different.

Sometimes you do come across a phrase in a tune and think "that sounds familiar" and maybe it doe crop up in another tune. However, in the overall context of the piece it sounds quite different.

Also, there are different styles, scales and so on which make a huge difference to the way things sound.

[jazzking]

No doubt to those answers! Who has counted the atoms in the universe anyway, that would involve taking a week off surely!
Jazzking.

[Matt]

jazzking said:

No doubt to those answers! Who has counted the atoms in the universe anyway, that would involve taking a week off surely!
Jazzking.

Did you know - that no-one could live long enough to count all the atoms in one fingernail?

[jazzking]

Well, I've got no hope then at my old age!
Jazzking.