Timecode past:Theory of Music/On Sound
From www.oscarvandillen.com
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by Oscar van Dillen
Contents |
Definitions
Sound
Sound is the perceived complex phenomenon of vibrations traveling through a medium. For all living beings on earth this medium is either air or water. Such vibrations are called sound when they are perceived by (our) hearing.
There are thus three components in sound: vibration, medium, hearing.
Vibration
Vibration is movement without motion; movement within an object itself, in one place.
At the origin of all sound is an object which is stirred into vibration.
A tone or pitch is a set of regular vibrations, a noise is a set of irregular vibrations.
Medium
The medium air or water enables motion of vibrations. The medium allows for vibrations to travel from one place to another, and thus to reach our ears.
Once a vibration reaches our ears it has acquired properties of both the original vibration and of the medium through which it has traveled, resulting in a particular combination of vibrations, among which are overtones.
Hearing
Hearing is the awareness of sound.
Hearing is the perception of sound by the combination of our ears and brain, resulting in an awareness of the sound.
Hearing has its own possibilities and limitations, resulting in the shaping, meaning both creation and filtering, of the sound for our awareness.
Music
Music is organized sound, performed by musicians.
The organization of sound by musicians takes place in both time and space, which together with substance make up the primary perceptory dimensions in which all life expresses itself to awareness.
Sound in music
A musical sound can be recognized and defined by its pitch (or frequency), duration (or relative rhythmic value), timbre (color or instrument), dynamics (loudness) and position in space (relative to the listener). All music consists of related sounds and silences.
See also
[[Category:Theory of Music]]
