The Science Of Musical Sounds

This book is concerned with the scientific aspects of musical sounds. It presents basic acoustics, auditory theory, and sound generation from both a theoretical and a practical view. Room acoustics, sound analysis, recording and reproduction, and sound synthesis as well as cognition are examined from the perspective of music. The work is thoroughly grounded in music, rather than physics Provides an up-to-date presentation of auditory theory as it relates to music Presents a readable account of the scientific aspects of musical sounds

Comprehensive and accessible, this foundational text surveys general principles of sound, musical scales, characteristics of instruments, mechanical and electronic recording devices, and many other topics. More than 300 illustrations plus questions, problems, and projects.

New Premium Paperback - Bookstore Quality Edition!This is Mr. Mason's third contribution to the "Appreciation of Music Series," and in this work, he has made the world his debtor. Twelve of the most famous compositions of the great masters are analyzed in "Short Studies" in a masterly and entertaining way, demonstrating the thorough musicianship of the author. To get some idea of the scope of this work, here are a few of the masterpieces included: "NewWorld Symphony," by Dvorak; "Variations," by Elgar; "Pathetique Symphony," by Tchaikovsky; "Symphony No. 3," by Saint-Saens, etc. All the masterpieces analyzed by Mr. Mason in "Short Studies" are well known to the real musician.

This textbook is a product of William Bennett’s work in developing and teaching a course on the physics of music at Yale University to a diverse audience of musicians and science students in the same class. The book is a culmination of over a decade of teaching the course and weaves together historical descriptions of the physical phenomena with the author’s clear interpretations of the most important aspects of the science of music and musical instruments. Many of the historical examples are not found in any other textbook available on the market. As the co-inventor of the Helium-Neon laser, Prof. Bennett’s knowledge of physics was world-class. As a professor at one of the most prestigious liberal-arts universities in the world, his appreciation for culture and humanities shines through. The book covers the basics of oscillations, waves and the analysis techniques necessary for understanding how musical instruments work. All types of stringed instruments, pipe organs, and the human voice are covered in this volume. A second volume covers the remaining families of musical instruments as well as selected other topics. Readers without a background in acoustics will enjoy learning the physics of the Science of Musical Sound from a preeminent scientist of the 20th century. Those well versed in acoustics will discover wonderful illustrations and photographs depicting familiar concepts in new and enlightening ways.

This book contains a complete and accurate mathematical treatment of the sounds of music with an emphasis on musical timbre. The book spans the range from tutorial introduction to advanced research and application to speculative assessment of its various techniques. All the contributors use a generalized additive sine wave model for describing musical timbre which gives a conceptual unity, but is of sufficient utility to be adapted to many different tasks.

The Structure of Musical Sound is about science from the point of view of musical sound. It is also a book about musical sound from science's point of view. First and foremost, however, it is a science text for nonscientists. You, the reader, will be introduced to the methods of science; and you will be shown how these methods are used to discover more about musical sound. You will be an active participant in both of these quests, and as a result you will become a more "scientific" person than you might have realized possible. Parts of musical sound have scientific explanations. Examples of these parts include the rules for the formation and propagation of sound waves, the operation of musical instruments as they produce their sounds, and the acoustic conditions for good listening to musical sound in rooms and halls. The Structure of Musical Sound explains all of these scientific aspects of music. Questions are included throughout the book. They will challenge you to demonstrate your understanding of the ideas just presented. The solutions, not just the answers, to these questions are provided at the end of this book.