Mozart to Metallica: A Comparison of Musical Sequences and Similarities

Musical composition is a creative art, but is restricted by the limitations of the finite musical information that can be expressed. Though notation allows expressive qualities to be applied to notes, composition is limited within the realms of the octave; therefore only a limited number of combinations of musical notes are permitted within a measure or musical piece. This restraint combined with trends of the human creative psyche to be influenced by factors in the surrounding environment, means that many musical pieces, though perceived as being greatly different in terms of their style, are often very similarly constructed on a strictly notational basis. This paper uses simple techniques to attempt to provide initial examination of musical pieces, which are perceived to be vastly different in style, and to compare any similarities of sequences of musical notes between them. This paper contrasts similarities between musical pieces varying across two extremes of musical genre. Results from this investigation show that there are distinct levels of similarity in musical composition between music perceived as being very different; traditional classical music, and more contemporary popular rock.