An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Music

I’ve watched with interest the reaction to the publication of Garret Lisi’s paper, An Exceptionally Simple Theory of Everything. He is being revered and reviled simultaneously.

When something happens that people think might be important, but they don’t really understand it, they tend to look around for an expert. If the experts disagree, then those who don’t understand the details are left with an ink-blot test, from which they divine meaning by faith alone. On the one hand, the decision to revere or revile tends to be based largely on internal factors – one’s faith in “progress,” for example. On the other hand, trivial and extraneous details of the ink-blot can become disproportionately influential – such as one’s feelings about surfing.

My collaborators and I are pursuing a similarly-simple Grand Unified Music Theory (which underlies the ThumMusic System). I suppose that we can expect it to receive a similarly split reaction…assuming anyone even notices. We have the advantage that our work’s foundations have been accepted for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals (Computer Music Journal, Winter 2007, and Journal of Mathematics and Music, Spring 2008), which Lisi’s paper was not.

Oh, well. There’s no such thing as bad publicity, right?