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Chapter 15
Computational Creativity and Music
David Cope
Abstract
In this chapter, I first define the word 'creativity' for the purposes of my
research and then compare this definition to others found in the literature. Follow-
ing this, I present two simple examples of creativity involving games—words and
chess—in which I invite readers to participate. I then describe two musical situa-
tions and subsequent computer programs that, following the discussion surrounding
the examples, creatively provide output as tentative proof of their success. Finally, I
describe ways this software can be improved to output more elegant results.
15.1 Definition
Defining creativity, especially in the context of computer emulation of such can prove
incredibly difficult. To wit,
It should be obvious, but it is sometimes forgotten, that musical creativity cannot be defined
without reference to the quality of the music it produces. If a greater degree of creativity
does not result in a better piece of music, what is the meaning of creativity? And with that
one might feel compelled to abandon the topic forthwith, because judgements about what
constitutes good music are notoriously contentious ([
5
], p. 25).
One can deflect a precise definition in the form of,
Computational creativity is the term used to describe the subfield of Artificial Intelligence
Research where we study how to build software that exhibits behaviours deemed creative in
people ([
2
], p. 3).
but at the risk of finding oneself more or less up the creek when it comes to pro-
gramming. As is typical in her writing, Margaret Boden comes closest to defining
the subject of computational creativity,
Creativity isn't magical. It's an aspect of normal human intelligence, not a special faculty
granted to a tiny elite. There are three forms: combinational, exploratory, and transforma-
tional. All three can bemodeled byAI—in some cases, with impressive results. AI techniques
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