ABSTRACT
Science has lain claim to the gathering of knowledge as its engine for discovery: scientists do experiments. Art also uses experimentation to make new discoveries, but it uses the term somewhat differently: artists experiment in order to innovate. This chapter explores the nexus between scientific and artistic research, challenging the assumed binary. We explore the definition and meaning of experimentation, its validity and its singular and multiple outcomes. We then investigate the proposition that every innovation, regardless of quality or size, adds new data to the set. Finally, we discuss the purpose of knowledge in music with the notion that the enjoyment of music is increased through understanding and that understanding exponentially can change the nature of the enjoyment.
