The Physics and Psychophysics of Music: An Introduction - Softcover

Roederer, Juan G.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0387094709 ISBN 13: 9780387094700

Publisher: Springer, 2008

Synopsis

This introductory text deals with the physical systems and biological processes that intervene in what we broadly call "music". It analyzes what physical properties of sound patterns are associated with what psychological sensations of music, and describes how these sound patterns are actually produced in musical instruments, how they propagate through the environment, and how they are detected by the ear and interpreted in the brain. Without using complicated mathematics, the author weaves a close mesh between the disciplines of acoustics, psychophysics, and neurobiology, offering an integral picture of not only the science of music, but also the "music of science", that is, the beauty and excitement of scientific research, reasoning and understanding. This text should be accessible to undergraduate-level students, whether from science, arts or engineering schools, but it should also be useful to professional musicians, physics educators, acoustical engineers and neuroscientists. The fourth edition incorporates recent research on tone generation in musical instruments and latest findings in brain science.

About this title

Review

From the reviews of the fourth edition:

"This book deals with the physical systems and biological processes that interact with music, analyzing ‘what objective, physical properties of sound patterns are associated with what subjective, psychological sensations of music.’ ... Roederer is well known for promoting music as a multidisciplinary subject. ... While there are plenty of good books on the physics of music ... Roederer’s classic is the best. This book will be an asset to any scientific library." (Soubhik Chakraborty, ACM Computing Reviews, November, 2009)

“This book ... not only suitable for lay-readers, but can also act as a springboard for more technically minded readers wishing to pursue a thorough foray into the field. ... open questions which makes the reader want to come back for more. Credit can only be given to the author for creating such an engaging read. ... this fourth edition of the book incorporates a number of recent results supporting hypotheses posited in earlier versions ... .” (Matthew R. Foreman, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 52 (3), May-June, 2011)

“The different aspects of the close relationship between science and music are discussed in this book. ... will be of interest to the non-science student, or simply to the music addict teenager ... . The book will definitively be pleasant ... reading for a scientist with a strong interest or love in music.” (Gary J. Long and Fernande Grandjean, Belgian Physical Society Magazine, Issue 3, 2010)

From the Back Cover

This book, a classic in its field, deals with the physical systems and physiological processes that intervene in music. It analyzes what objective, physical properties of sound are associated with what subjective psychological sensations of music, and it describes how these sound patterns are actually generated in musical instruments, how they propagate through the environment, and how they are detected by the ear and interpreted in the brain. Using the precise language of science, but without complicated mathematics, the author weaves a close mesh of the physics, psychophysics and neurobiology relevant to music. A prior knowledge of physics, mathematics, neurobiology or psychology is not required to understand most of the book; it is, however, assumed that the reader is familiar with music - in particular, with musical notation, musical scales and intervals, and some of the basics of musical instruments. This new edition presents substantially updated coverage of psychoacoustics, including:

· New results from tomographic imaging of brain function that confirm some speculations in previous editions

· New research on consciousness and emotions

· The possibility of musics in extraterrestrial civilizations

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0387094709
• ISBN 13: 9780387094700
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 4
• Number of pages: 242