Written by Ameya Vathanan
Edited by Anirudh Sengupta
Published 4/8/24
In our world today, music plays a significant role in our lives and helps us bond with other people from all over the world. It has charmed audiences for centuries with its rich and diverse sounds. Almost every portion of the world has concerts and social conventions with the inclusion of music. Although music has been considered an art, it is very much a science! Behind these fascinating tunes lies a world of physics that permits artists to play their outstanding pieces. Not many are aware of this complex relationship between the world of physics and music. However, by the end of this article, you will be able to understand how musicians can captivate their audience with the help of physics.
To start simple, we will begin with pitches and frequencies. In music, there is usually not just one monotone pitch, but a variety of pitches that blend together to create a piece. There are instruments that can play high pitches and low pitches. You might be asking yourself, what does pitch have to do with frequency? Frequency is the number of waves per second, usually measured in Hertz (Hz). The higher the frequency of a wave, the higher the pitch, and the lower the frequency, the lower the pitch. Did you know that each octave has a frequency double that of the previous lower octave? For example, an A close to the middle C has 440 Hz, but if you go one octave higher that same note A has 880 Hz (Laird). This is due to our relationship between pitch and frequency: a higher pitch means a higher frequency.
To dig in a bit deeper, we will talk about the type of waves instruments can produce. The simple and perfect wave is called a sine wave, it has the same amplitude all throughout the wave. However, these sounds that our beautiful instruments make are a collection of frequencies. Let’s say we were going to play an A 220 Hz on the cello. In this wave, there will be many frequencies: 220 Hz, 440 Hz, 660 Hz, and 880 Hz. Since we are playing a note of 220 Hz, that same frequency will be the fundamental of the wave which is typically the lowest frequency of the wave. The other natural frequencies will be the harmonics of a sound wave usually integer multiples of the fundamental frequency (Pomian and Ramsey). When combining these two we get the unique and amazing sounds of an instrument known as their timbre.
To transition into a bird’s eye view, we will now talk about the major scales that not only orchestral or band instruments use but also pop, folk, and many other genres of music. The first and last note of a major scale is called the “tonic” (Laird). The fifth note is called the “dominant” and the third note is called the “mediant” (Laird). When combining these three notes and their different frequencies we get a major triad also known as a chord. Yet again showing how the different frequencies all blend in together to help us produce these mesmerizing tunes.
Hence, the next time you attend a concert at Ardrey Kell, be it Orchestra, Choir, or Band, you may hear more than just the beautiful music created by all of us in unison, but also appreciate the principles of physics behind the creation of music itself!
References
Laird, Scott. “The Physics of Music Advanced Acoustics.” YouTube, 5 March 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ2ZuSJ2LMg. Accessed 31 March 2024.
Pomian, Katarzyna, and Gordon Ramsey. “Physics of Stringed Instruments - Explore Sound.” Explore Sound!, https://exploresound.org/2017/02/physics-stringed-instruments/. Accessed 31 March 2024.
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