Musical Acoustics Seminar

Time: Th 3:00 - 4:30
Place: SciBldg 216
Text: Eargle's Music, Sound, and Technology

General Info

This is an open-ended examination of sound, music, the ways to create sound, and the various devices to record and/or manipulate sound. All students will be required to complete a major project during the latter part of the term which will be presented to the class, such as the construction of or an analysis of an musical instrument.

I've roughed out a schedule and some topics below, but what we actually do will depend on the backgrounds and interests of the people in the class.

The "seminar" format means that this is for low but variable credit, and that I expect you folks to do much of the talking and research, using me as a resource and not just a lecturer.

Syllabus

General Introduction
- Basic physics of sound (chap 1; 2 wks)
  - units: energy, power, pressure, etc.
  - frequency and wavelength
  - resonance and oscillations
  - interference / standing waves
  - adding waves - harmonic series
  - beats
  - decibel volume scale
- Music Fundamentals (chap 3; 1 wk)
- Notes and notation
- Tempered Tuning
- Consonance and intervals
  - Perception (chap 2; 1 wk)
  - Musical Instruments (chap 4; 1 wk)
  - Mikes and Speakers (chap 13,14; 2 wk)
Student Projects (4 wks)
- tba

Assignments

for Thu Jan 22
- Read chapter 1; we'll discuss it in class. (Parts of this may be difficult if you don't have a physics background; make a note of what doesn't make sense and ask questions.)
- Discuss class format and student backgrounds.
for Thu Jan 29
- Finish chapter 1.
- Discuss other wave phenomena.
- hand in Assignment 1:
  1. If a sound has a frequency of 440 Hz, what is it's wavelength?
  2. Describe an experiment which could measure this wavelength. (Hint: there are many answers. Consider resonance phenomena, and what is actually changing from place to place in the wave.)
  3. Explain what is meant by "resonance." Give an example.
  4. Two pitches, of equal volume, are played simultaneously, one with at 500 Hz, and the other at 502 Hz. Sketch the combined waveform. Describe what it sounds like.
  5. Give an example of "interference" in a wave phenomena.
  6. Both sound and light are waves. What are the fundamental differences between them?
  7. How much louder (in decibels) are 10 trumpet players than 1 trumpet player? How about 4 players?
  8. What is a "Watt"?
for Thu Feb 12
- Finish reading up through the end of chap 3.
- Write a paragarph on the sound we perceive as opposed to what's really there - an open ended question to generate some discussion of chap 2, how we hear sound.
- Some numerical questions on tempered tuning:
  1. What note and frequency is 5 harmonics above A 440Hz?
  2. What frequency is the corresponding tempered note?
  3. What note and frequence is a perfect 5th above A 440Hz?
  4. What is the corresponding tempered frequency?
  5. What would the last two sound like if played together?
  6. Play around with the oscilliscope, function generator, speaker, and microphone in the lab. Look at the waveform of a note that you sing, and discuss how "compex" or "pure" it looks and how that relates to what the quality of the sound.
for Thu Feb 12
- Read chapter 4; skim 5-9 depending on your interests, on how musical sounds are produced, for an overview of the subject.
- Discuss in general terms the production of sound by strings, winds, precussion, and the voice. In particular,
  - What is vibrating?
  - What is resonating?
  - What controls the pitch?
  - What controls the timbre?
  - What gives it it's characteristic sound?

Start thinking about what you want to do for your project.

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