Chaos Theory and Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band's "My City Of Ruins" analyzed in 4 beat groups, meanemotion=graceful, meanspeed=74.0 bpm

Chaos theory tells us that elements of movement and patterns can be broken down into simpler forms.

Yesterday we featured this same song, My City Of Ruins, and, as today, the analysis was done averaging contiguous groups of beats 10 times. The difference:
a) groups are shown measure by measure—in groups of 4 beat averages rather than yesterday’s 10 beats averages;
b) yesterday's measurements were taken from a compact disc purchased in 2002. Today’s version was taken as a “straight download” from the ever-improving selection at iTunes--Apple - iTunesFree Download for Mac and Windows. iTunes 6. Free Download for Mac and Windows. ... Visit the Apple Store online or at retail locations. 1-800-MY-APPLE ...
www.apple.com/itunes/ - 65k - Cached - Similar pages.
So we see: we are not perfect here at Meanspeed Trust, as yesterday I broadcast the Meanspeed as 74.3 beats per minute, while today on the download and using the slow piano ending—which candidly I do not remember if I measured that section in 2002. So either:
i) The master of the CD is faster than the speed of the song as given by iTunes;
ii) My compact disc had a scratch in it yielding a falsely fast speed yesterday.

Either way, the meanemotion, grace, is exactly the same—a 1/3 of one beat per minute difference at 74 makes absolutely no difference in emotional expression.

Regarding the four beat graphs: today’s speed graphs as versus the 10 beat graph seen yesterday—one can see the advantage to the 4 beat graph. Two professors and one producer are responsible: Drs. Clynes and Van Gelder suggested a try at one measure speed graphs, as did a producer whose name escapes me now. It is not something I wanted to do at first: by definition, it takes at least 2.5 times longer to create the same speed analysis. Is it worth it? I think so.

I am putting the test on myself: let’s look at the same song on a compact disc broken down into groups of four and compare: Just how accurate am I? If I show myself to be unreliable, I will pull all my sites off the net! So the next two songs: this song live as groups of four—another ten listens of the studio version might put me in a hospital—well, it might not, because the generalizations that I am making about speed expression are so exacting to the point of being brazen, well, I have to put myself to the test: in PUBLIC!

The MeanFrequencies™ of My City Of Ruins by Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band from their CD The Rising are:
meanspeed=74.0 beats per minute.
meanemotion=graceful.
meanbeat=1.233 beats per second.
meanspace=811 milliseconds per beat.
meanspace=3243 milliseconds per measure.
meanphase=1.233 cycles per second.
meanpitch=315.733 Hertz, 26 cents above D#4/Eb4=311.127 Hertz, 74 cents below E4=329.628 Hertz.

Ian Schneider
12 September 2006
NYC