If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world. - J.R.R. Tolkien |
The Physics of MusicMusic is the creation of complex sequences of sounds that have a pleasent effect. For some currently inexplicable reason, when more than one frequency is heard simulatanously, it can have an a profoundly pleasent or amazingly disconcerting effect. In music, the sensation of frequency is commonly referred to as the pitch. A Low pitched sound vibrates at a lower frequency than a high pitched sound. When two sounds are very close to the same pitch, we normally experience the sound as an oscillating sound with a beat. However, when the sounds differ enough, we start to hear the two separate, independent sounds. The degree of difference required is a major area of study in the field of psychoacoutics and is discussed in our section on psychoacoustics. This affect is so powerful, musicians call the space between notes by a special name: the Interval. Lets look at the most common intervals used in music. The OctaveThe octave is simply the doubling of the frequency, or the creation of a sound with an interval ratio of 2 to 1. The FifthThe interval of a fifth is the most common and has a calming effect. It is obtained from the interval ratio of 3 to 2. This interval is created by simply taking a lower octave of the third harmonic. So, if we had a frequency of 100 Hz, the third harmonic is 300 Hz. One octave below 300 Hz is 150 Hz. So, the interval of the fifth would be created by playing a sound at 100 Hz and another at 150 Hz simultaneously. Note: It's easier to multiply the fundamental frequency by the ratio, 3/2 in this case, to obtain the second frequency. For more discussion on this subject, see musical intervals.
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