Undergraduate Course: Musical Acoustics (PHYS08021)
Course Outline
| School |
School of Physics and Astronomy |
College |
College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None
|
Taught in Gaelic? |
No |
| Course description |
An introduction to the nature of musical sound and the basic physics governing the behaviour of musical instruments. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | 14:00 - 14:50 | | | | | | Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 14:00 - 14:50 | | | Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 14:00 - 14:50 | | Central | Tutorial | | 2-11 | 15:00 - 15:50or 16:10 - 17:00 | | | or 15:00 - 15:50or 16:10 - 17:00 | or 15:00 - 15:50or 16:10 - 17:00 |
| First Class |
Week 1, Monday, 14:00 - 14:50, Zone: Central. Appleton Tower, Lecture Theatre 2 |
| Additional information |
Tutorials and practical work, 1 hour per week, as arranged. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
Stationery Requirements |
Comments |
| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Musical Acoustics | 2:00 | 12 sides | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | 12 sides | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1)describe the vibratory motion of typical musical sound sources, explain what is meant by a travelling wave & a standing wave, & write down & use the formula relating the frequency, wavelength & speed of a sinusoidal sound wave
2)draw a schematic diagram of the human ear, & outline the functions of the different parts of the ear in the hearing process
3)discuss the relationships between the perceived pitch, loudness & timbre of a sound & the objectively measurable properties of the sound wave
4)state & use the formula giving the pitch interval in cents corresponding to a given frequency ratio
5)state & use the formula giving the decibel difference between two sounds of a given intensity ratio, & define the Sound Pressure Level of a sound
6)explain how sound is generated, transformed & radiated by bowed and plucked stringed instruments, keyboard stringed instruments, woodwind & brass instruments, percussion instruments, electronic instruments & the human voice
7)state the frequency ratios & the names of the pitch intervals between the first six members of a
harmonic series, &explain the relationship between these intervals & the Just Diatonic Scale
8)explain the necessity for temperament in the tuning of keyboard instruments, & discuss the differences between Just Intonation, Mean Tone Temperament & Equal Temperament
9)define the reverberation time of a hall, write down & use a formula relating reverberation time to the volume of the hall and the absorption of its surfaces, & discuss the acoustical properties desirable in concert halls and opera houses
10)measure & comment on the dynamic range & timbre of musical instruments, using a sound level meter & a laptop computer with frequency analysis software
11)understand how reverberation time can be measured by plotting decay curves for filtered noise, & analyse & comment on decay curves measured in a concert hall |
Assessment Information
Assessed work, 40%
Degree examination, 60% |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords |
MusAc |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Prof Murray Campbell
Tel: (0131 6)50 5262
Email: D.M.Campbell@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Miss Jennifer Wood
Tel: (0131 6)50 7218
Email: J.Wood@ed.ac.uk |
|
copyright 2011 The University of Edinburgh -
31 January 2011 8:13 am
|
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