The Sound of Music

A new book by Stephen Gislason has emerged from his Music Notes.  The topics cover a wide range of interests from the history of instruments, music theory, composing to the most current technologies involved in music composition and sound recording. A special chapter on the Musical Brain explains current knowledge in the brain processing of sound as it applies to language and music decoding. A chapter on the Music Business reviews the dramatic changes in music marketed and discusses some of the dilemmas and controversies facing musicians.

Preface

This book emerged from notes I have kept for several decades. I have spent much time  studying music theory, electronics applied to sound reproduction and to performance skills. I decided to assemble my music notes so that any person interested in music could benefit from simple, clear explanations. Music descriptions often are too complicated and the use of terms can be inconsistent and confusing. As with other subjects I have tackled, I assumed that with a little extra effort more precise descriptions would be welcomed by readers seeking a practical understanding of music.

The book begins with a consideration of what sound is and how animals use sounds to communicate. Music is not a human invention, but we do elaborate sound communication more than other animals in our production of both speech and musical performances. The discussion continues with noise, an important topic that is poorly understood. A well informed musician will refrain from making noise and understand Ambrose Bierce when he stated: Of all noise, music is the less offensive."

I include acoustic and electronic instruments in my discussions of music creation. In my world,  electronics dominate every aspect of work and play and most music I create and listen to was created, stored and distributed electronically. The art and science of recording is an important study for all 21st century musicians. Increased sophistication about the nature of sound, the art of combining musical sounds, and the effect on the listener's brain are all required for music to advance beyond noise toward a more effective means of human communication.   Stephen Gislason 2011

Topics from the book are featured on the companion website, Persona Music Studio.

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The Sound of Music

Table to Contents

1. Preface
2. Sound & Communication
3. Hearing
4. Musical Sounds
5. Animal Sounds
6. Tuning Sounds into Words
7. Speaking
8. Intonation
9. Prosody
10. Waves
11. Amplifiers
12. Noise
13. Harmful Effects of Noise
14. Ear Buds and Headphones
15. Noise Inside Buildings
16. External Noise
17. Sound Control Materials
18. Music
19. Music Elements
20. Music Unites Humans
21. Emotions and Feelings
22. Singing
23. Dance
24. Learning Music
25. Sound Descriptions & Synesthesia
26. Recorded Music
27. Music and Video
28. Home Theatre
29. Celebrity
30. True value
31. Instruments
32. Percussion Instruments
33. Flutes
34. Organs
35. Strings
36. Guitar
37. Trumpet
38. Flugelhorn
39. Trombone
40. Reeds
41. The Master Instrument - The Piano
42. Piano virtuosos
43. Digital Pianos
     
44. Synthesizers
45. Moog
46. New Old Synthesizers
47. MIDI
48. Keyboard Controller
49. Yamaha DX7
50. Oberheim Matrix-6
51. Roland D 50
52. Korg Trinity
53. EMU Samplers & Proteus
54. EMU Proteus 2500
55. Korg M3
     
56. Music Theory
57. Pitch, Intervals, Tonality
58. Oscillators
59. Timbre
60. Scales
61. Chords
62. Arpeggiation
63. Patterns & Riffs
64. Rhythm,  Time, Tempo
65. Music in the Brain
66. Mixer in the Brain
67. Temporal Lobes
68. Parietal  Lobes
69. Pitch, timbre, familiarity
70. Innate Musical Qualities
71. Music is Movement
72. Two Hands, Two Hemispheres
73. Lips, Mouth, Hands
74. Cerebellum
75. Psychedelic Drugs
76. Music, Meditation, Cognitive Benefits
77. Composing
78. Baroque Roots
79. Johann Sebastian Bach
80. Bach, Transcription and Arranging
81. Mozart
82. Innovations and Perseveration
83. Orchestration
84. Creating Hit Songs
85. Lead Sheets and Improvisation
86. The Perfect Song
87. Composing with MIDI
     
88. MIDI Libraries
89. Modular Workstations
90. MIDI and Audio
91. Composer Assistants
92. Arranger Keyboards
93. Notation Software
94. Novel Digital Music Generators
95. Samples and MIDI
96. Musical Styles
97. Classical Music
98. Chamber Music
99. Operas and Musicals
100. Groove and Style
101. Cabaret & American Songbook
102. Folk Music
103. Blues
104. Pan American Music
105. Rock and Roll
106. Jazz
107. Fusion
108. New Age
109. New is Old
110. Tribal Techno
111. Audio Recording
112. Audiophile Perfection
113. Analog Versus Digital
114. Microphones
115. The Sound Mixer
116. Filters
117. Analogue to Digital Conversion
118. Audio Files
119. Audio Effects and Processors
120. Compressor
121. Delays, Echo, Chorus
122. Pitch Shifter
123. Reverb
124. Equalization
125. Acoustic Room Design
126. Virtual Studios
127. Audio Loops, Clips
128. Dockers & Interfaces
129. Digital Audio Workstations-  DAWs
130. Choosing Software
131. Sonar
132. EMU X3 Emulator Sampling Software.
133. Sound Samples
134. Sample Libraries
135. Multi-Sample Presets
136. EMU Software Mixer
137. Modulation + Expression
138. Low Frequency Oscillators
139. Behavior Function Generators
140. Drum Kits
141. Video Production
142. Music Business
143. Everyone Copies
144. Copying, Cover & Control
145. Who Benefits? Money Control
146. Covers
147. Mechanical License
148. Digital Rights Management
149. My Recordings
150. Johann Sebastian Bach
151. Cantatas Re-Visited
152. Digital Bach 21st Century
153. The Art of the Fugue
154. B Minor Mass
155. Beatles
156. Bread
157. Chicago
158. Creedence Clearwater Revival
159. Dizzie Gillespie
160. Miles Davis
161. John Coltrane
162. Wayne Shorter
163. Joe Zawinul
164. Weather Report
165. Chick Corea
166. Brazil, Jobim, Bonfa and Gilberto
167. Manzanero
168. Pat Metheny
169. David Sanborn
170. Rippingtons
171. Steely Dan
172. Eagles
173. Huey Lewis and the Power of Love
174. Jennifer Rush, Power of Love
175. John Denver
176. Joni Mitchell
177. Linda Ronstadt

Some Examples

Singing, dancing and playing music of all  kinds are clearly the best expressions of humans. This is not to suggest that all sounds presented as music are really music, since noise appears to be replacing real music in many popular formats. Real music is intelligent and pleasing. Real music is rhythmic, not always with drums. Musical drumming should be interesting, sometimes exciting, but never noisy or oppressive. Composers in the Europe of old were immersed in music from their early childhood. They followed forms that were fashionable and influenced each other. JS Bach, the great master was influenced by Handel and Vivaldi. Mozart expressed musical ideas from Bach, Handel, Haydn and many other composers at work in Europe. Beethoven studied with Haydn and was inspired by Mozart.  Händel was born in 1685, the same year as JS Bach and Domenico Scarlatti. Bach eventually complimented Handel and his music saying that Handel was "the only person I would wish to be, were I not Bach." Mozart admired Bach's genius. Beethoven said that JS Bach was "the master of us all". 

Each musical "genius" added his own innovations so that the ideas that drove musical composition progressed, despite the resistance of patrons and audiences. There has always been a battle between audiences who want more of the same and composers who were innovative. Many creative composers suffered repeated rejection and penury. Some of the best known 20th century composers of “classical” music were Schoenberg, Stravinsky, Rachmaninov and Otto Klemperer; all four lived Los Angeles after fleeing from the second world war in Europe. Schoenberg and Stravinsky wrote music for films. Homegrown composers often combined orchestral music with popular music. Stylistic distinctions were overcome by creative innovators such as Copeland, Ellington, Gershwin, Bernstein and a host of jazz musicians who emerged as virtuoso performers and creative composers. Musical ideas converged in the US to produce rapidly evolving and eclectic styles. As recorded popular music emerged, song writers and arrangers became the new composers who dominated radio play.

A topic often discussed among musicians who have not yet made the big time is what are the ingredients of hit songs? The are many ideas. One idea, for sure, is that a lot of people must like the tune. Liking a tune requires hearing the tune often, so that it becomes as familiar as brushing your teeth. Since hit singles became the goal of recording companies in the 1950's, frequent radio play was the route to popularity. The competition for radio play led to big business control of the airways, shady deals and some criminal involvement.

In Aug. 4, 1958, Billboard magazine began to list the most popular 100 tunes based on sales and plays on jukeboxes and the radio. The first No. 1 it was Ricky Nelson’s "Poor Little Fool." Geoff Mayfield recalled: “If you found only one easy listening song in a college student's music library during the early '60s, it would have been Percy Faith's rendition of "Theme from 'A Summer Place.'" With a melody carried by Faith's orchestra string section, the instrumental entered the Hot 100 at No. 96 in the Jan. 16, 1960, issue and rose to No. 1."

Summer Place" enjoyed the hit longest popularity at the time, a record broken in 1968 when the Beatles' "Hey Jude" topped the chart for nine weeks, becoming the band's longest-running chart topper. No other instrumental to date has led the Hot 100 as long as Summer Place. Some of the hit makers became rich and famous but less lucky song writers and musicians remained relatively poor. Recording companies grew richer, bigger and more autocratic. Song structures and styles became standardized and most hit tunes followed a predictable form. Even today, a song writer should stay with the standard form and introduce only small innovations.

The Sound of Music

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