Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale - Hardcover

Sethares, William A.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1852337974 ISBN 13: 9781852337971

Publisher: Springer, 2005

Synopsis

Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale focuses on perceptions ofconsonance and dissonance, and how these are dependent on timbre. This alsorelates to musical scale: certain timbres sound more consonant in some scalesthan others. Sensory consonance and the ability to measure it have importantimplications for the design of audio devices and for musical theory andanalysis. Applications include methods of adapting sounds for arbitrary scales,ways to specify scales for nonharmonic sounds, and techniques of soundmanipulation based on maximizing (or minimizing) consonance. Specialconsideration is given here to a new method of adaptive tuning that canautomatically adjust the tuning of a piece based its timbral character so as tominimize dissonance. Audio examples illustrating the ideas presented areprovided for free on the Springer Extras website (http://extras.springer.com). Thisunique analysis of sound and scale will be of interest to physicists andengineers working in acoustics, as well as tomusicians and psychologists

 

About this title

Synopsis

The only things truly universal in music are those that are based on biological and/or perceptual facts. "Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale" focuses on perceptions of consonance and dissonance, which are defined in the Harvard Dictionary of Music: 'Consonance is used to describe the agreeable effect produced by certain intervals as against the disagreeable effect produced others. Consonance and dissonance are the very foundation of harmonic music...consonance represents the element of smoothness and repose, while dissonance represents the no less important elements of roughness and irregularity'. "Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale" begins by asking (and answering) the question: How can we build a device to measure consonance and dissonance? The remainder of the book describes the impact of such a 'dissonance meter' on music theory, on synthesizer design, on the construction of musical scales and tunings, on the design of musical instruments, and introduces related compositional techniques and new methods of musicological analyses.

This new and greatly revised edition of William Sethares' classic book includes an attached CD-ROM that contains over three hours of sound examples that demonstrate the ideas in action, as well as computer programs that enable readers to conduct their own explorations. A new chapter contains a detailed explanation of how the software works. It incorporates several important simplifications over the full presentation in the current Chapter seven in order to allow it to function in real time. Another new chapter describes the various ways that the software can be used. New sections throughout the book bring it up to date with the current state of the subject. "Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale" offers a unique analysis of the relationship between the structure of sound and the structure of scale and will be useful to musicians and composers who use inharmonic tones and sounds. This includes a large percentage of people composing and performing with modern musical synthesizers. It will be of use to arrangers, musicologists, and others interested in musical analysis.

"Tuning Timbre Spectrum Scale" provides a unique approach to working with environmental sounds, and there are clear applications for the use of inharmonic sounds in film scoring. This book will also be of interest to engineers and others interested in the design of audio devices such as musical synthesizers, special effects devices, and keyboards.

Edition details

• Publisher: Springer
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1852337974
• ISBN 13: 9781852337971
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 444