International Strange Music Day: Coronacode Music

In celebration of International Strange Music Day on Monday 24 August, I have produced a musical composition using the computer-generated musical notes from the coronavirus genome. DNA is a long, string-like molecule made up of repeating G, A, T and C bases. When you think about it, these bases can easily be converted into a long sequence of musical notes. By replicating the pattern of a DNA sequence in an audio format, I found that it’s possible to hear mutations in the gene sequence that might not be obvious by visual inspection alone. I have continued to experiment with sonification - creating a wide range of musical renditions and melodies that convey the information content of a DNA sequence and more recently the coronavirus RNA sequence. I have twice performed at the Joan Sutherland Performing Arts centre playing music inspired by the DNA sonification. To celebration of International Strange Music Day I went into the studio to play drums with guitarist Mike Anderson and of course the music generated from the coronavirus genome. This is what we came up with..., to me, it sounds a little like ‘math rock’. It can be accessed via: https://marktemple.bandcamp.com/track/coronacode-music and https://youtu.be/2sG9O300Oz