The Science of Music: Listening with Both Sides of Your Brain

Description

Beginning with the question "What is Sound," this course will cover how musical sounds are produced and perceived. We will explore how musical scales are put together and learn why the mysteries of harmony have fascinated scientists and musicians alike since the time of Pythagoras and the ancient Greeks. After a brief discussion of the ear and the science of hearing, we will take a tour of the basic families of musical instruments, including wind (brass, woodwind, and organ), strings (the violin family and guitar), piano (with the harp and harpsichord), percussion (drums and handbells), and the human voice. The emphasis will be on how the various parts of each instrument work together to produce its characteristic sound. There will be a brief introduction to electronic sound recording and reproduction. The class will be enlivened with computer simulations of musical concepts and many physical demonstrations of acoustic phenomena.