The Physics and Psychophysics of Music: An Introduction

This book deals with the physical systems and psychophysical processes that intervene in what we broadly call "music. " We shall analyze what objective, physical properties of sound patterns are associated with what subjective, psychological sensations of music. We shall describe 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. We shall do all this by using the physicist's language and his method of thought and analysis-without, however, using complicated mathematics (this, of course, will necessarily impose serious limitations on our presentation). Although no previous knowledge of physics, physiology, and neurobiology is required, it is assumed that the reader is familiar with music, in particular with musical notation, musical scales, and intervals, that he has at least some basic ideas about musical instruments, and that he has experienced typical musical "sensations. " Books are readily available on the fundamentals of physics of music (e. g. , Benade, 1976; Pierce, 1983) and music psychology (e. g. , Deutsch, 1982). An excellent and up-to-date general text on musical acoustics is that of Sundberg (1991). The purpose of the present volume is not to duplicate but to synthesize and complement existing literature.