Why We’re Wired to Love Music
When I was just beginning to play guitar, I’ll never forget a conversation I had with an older guitarist. “At its essence,” he said, “music is math.” I sat there, thinking, a little bewildered. “Math?” I thought to myself. I hated math! Music was supposed to be my escape from that teenage predicament known as school. But he was right. As I’ve gotten older I’ve often reflected on his words and their greater significance. Music is math, and math is science. Ergo, music is science. But have you ever wondered how — or why?
Get On My Wavelength
Sound is essentially matter shaking together, vibrating into waves of energy that travel through the air. The length of those sound waves corresponds with their frequency (the number of wave repetitions per second). For example, a bass drum creates long waves that produce a low sound, whereas a whistle produces a shorter wave and higher-pitched sound. “Pitch” is our perception of any given frequency.
You’ll often hear people talk about their “frequency,” and it’s true! All matter vibrates and in a way we’re all tuned to our own frequency. That’s probably one of the reasons we all gravitate to so many different kinds of music. There are so many different emotions and experiences that factor into our feelings towards a piece of music, a particular instrument or sound. We all interact with various sounds, and music, in our own ways. That includes our relation to other musical attributes like tempo and rhythm too.
The Science of Recording
Ah, yes, more science (I just want to talk about music, man)! Well, like music, recording is an art and a science. It’s all about electricity and transduction. For example, sound waves from a singer’s voice hit a microphone capsule, making it move in a way that turns the acoustic waves into electric waves. Those waves travel through a cable, into a recording console and out of the speakers — into our ears. Pretty amazing, right? Well, it goes even deeper than that, but the point is made: recording is science. Much as my 16-year-old self would roll his eyes, it’s the truth.
These same principles of acoustic and electric waves, transduction, voltages, and so on apply all throughout the recording process. Every instrument produces different sounds that require specialized equipment to effectively capture the sound. Recording acoustic drums, for example, requires a different approach than recording an electric guitar. Understanding the gear, instruments and sonic principles is critical to be a successful audio engineer. That’s probably why, in the days of yore, studio engineers wore lab coats. After all, they were scientists.
The Sound of Music
So, when I introduce myself to people, do I call myself a… scientist? In all seriousness, I’m certainly no expert on the science of sound. I’m a humble musician and engineer, who has had to learn the basics so I can effectively turn musical imaginings into audible realities. Still, it never ceases to amaze me how finely tuned our universe is — how we are able to use science delve deeper into one of our most human characteristics: music.
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