Introduction

What does Physics have to do with Music? A knowledge of Physics is certainly not required in order to appreciate music. Side-stepping the issue of what can be labeled music, a much thornier question, we can agree that music is sound – something that we listen and respond to in myriad different ways – whether by closing our eyes and letting it wash over us, or by being unable to resist the urge to get up and move to the beat. The goal of this text is to help you understand the physical aspects of musical sound: how it is produced, by what means it is conveyed to the listener, and what physical characteristics of the sound and of our physiology affect the way it is perceived by both creator and listener.

The main focus of this text will be on how sound is produced in a physical object, such as a musical instrument, and how it propagates through a medium, such as air.  The sound then impinges on the ear of a person, or animal, or perhaps on an inanimate object such as a microphone, and is perceived by the receiver. We examine the physical aspects of this three stage process: production, propagation, and perception. We will touch upon aspects of the complexity of perception, which is the realm of neuroscience, and an entire subject unto itself.