The Science of Music

Catalog description

Waves, physics of sound, hearing, musical scales, musical instruments, and room acoustics. INART 050 The Science of Music (3) (GN)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. This course explores the physical and acoustical bases of sound and music.The physics include a study of vibrating systems and simple harmonic motion, wave propagation, reflection and refraction, superposition, resonant frequencies, harmonics, phase, the relationship of speed and velocity, and spectra. The acoustics portion applies these physical properties to hearing, sound and music, covering the nature of the human auditory system, and correlations of pitch to frequency, loudness to amplitude/power/intensity, timbre to spectra and envelope. An overview of perceptual psychological studies of Gestalt organizational principles and auditory streaming explores how the auditory system organizes sound on a primitive, unlearned level. NOTE: there need be no specific math prerequisite for the course. Though high school algebra and trigonometry will be recommended, these topics will be integrated with the rest of the course material.With physical and physiological groundwork laid, the subject matter movea to purely musical areas: the construction of musical scales, the nature of consonance, dissonance, and harmony. Twelve-tone equal temperament, the basis of Western common practice music, is not an absolute, but a decision made to facilitate certain musical choices, and a compromise in terms of optimal consonance. The nature of the different instruments is then discussed - strings, winds, brass, percussion, and voice. Different instruments naturally produce different scale types and different types of spectra. Students will learn to appreciate the inherent differences in different instrument types.The course then returns to acoustics, exploring the role that performance spaces play in the propagation and reception of sound. The shape and materials of a room determine its characteristic sound. Students learn about how sound in large auditoriums is characterized by the balance of direct and reflected sound, the distinction between specular and diffuse reflections, the absorptive properties of different building materials, and the nature of reverberation. Smaller performance spaces are subject to standing waves, flutter echo, and comb filtering. Taking steps to avoid undesirable characteristics is often an easy matter once the nature of these characteristics is understood. The final weeks cover audio technology and the distinctions between analog and digital formats.