Product Description

There has always been a close connection between physics and music. From the great days of ancient Greek science, ideas and speculations have passed backward and forward between natural philosophers (physicists) and musical theorists. Measured Tones: The Interplay of Physics and Music, Second Edition explores the story of that relationship in an entertaining and user-friendly way.

The book provides an easy-to-understand introduction to the physics involved in every stage of the music making process: from the very earliest experiments on vibrating strings and primitive sound makers to the latest concerns of digital sound recording, MP3 files, and information theory. At the same time, it examines the story of our developing concept of the universe we live in: from the ancient visions of a cosmos regulated by the music of the spheres to our current understanding of an expanding universe controlled by the laws of quantum mechanics and string theory. Running through all this is one recurring question - the so-called puzzle of consonance. Why do humans respond to music and musical sounds the way they do? It is the attempts by musicians and scientists through the ages to apply new knowledge to answer this question that gives this story its fascination.

Measured Tones should provide rewarding reading for any physics teacher or student who would like to know more about music and where it impinges on their subject as well as for anyone who is musically inclined.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #415918 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 420 pages

Review
I find it 'unputdownable,' combining a thorough development of the mathematical and physical basis of music, dealt with in a historical framework, with interludes dealing in details with the different families of musical instruments. This new edition has updated the sections on electronic music and digital technology, which have changed vastly in the last decide, and which feature prominently in the new AS/A2 specifications. Thoroughly recommended.
- John Miller in School Science Review

I find it unputdownable, combining a thorough development of the mathematical and physical basis of music, dealt with in a historical framework, with interludes dealing in details with the different families of musical instruments. This new edition has updated the sections on electronic music and digital technology, which have changed vastly in the last decide, and which feature prominently in the new AS/A2 specifications. Thoroughly recommended.
- John Miller in School Science Review

It is an ideal book for a secondary school library … it also makes a useful supplementary text for the undergraduate module in musical instrument acoustics that we run at the ISVR … . A particular strength is the detailed discussion of the development of musical scales and temperaments, a subject that is so often glossed over.
- M.C.M. Wright, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 264, 1209-1210, (2003)

It is an ideal book for a secondary school library … it also makes a useful supplementary text for the undergraduate module in musical instrument acoustics that we run at the ISVR … . A particular strength is the detailed discussion of the development of musical scales and temperaments, a subject that is so often glossed over.
- M.C.M. Wright, Journal of Sound and Vibration, 264, 1209-1210, (2003)

Johnston offers a charming, informal, and information-packed volume aimed squarely both at the musician who wants to understand better some of the physics behind the sound that various instruments make and at the physicist who would like to understand better the workings of musical instruments… . Lots of material is covered, and the book is worthy of careful examination… . It belongs in all college libraries.
- K.L. Schick in CHOICE

Johnston offers a charming, informal, and information-packed volume aimed squarely both at the musician who wants to understand better some of the physics behind the sound that various instruments make and at the physicist who would like to understand better the workings of musical instruments… . Lots of material is covered, and the book is worthy of careful examination… . It belongs in all college libraries.
- K.L. Schick in CHOICE

The writing throughout is delightfully clear and easy to read, and the numerous small illustrations break up the pages and add interest … . Students (and teachers!) not having had the benefit of such a course should certainly buy the book and read it. I also recommend it warmly to the general reader who would simply like to know more about the sounds he or she enjoys.
- Neville Fletcher in Acoustics Australia

The writing throughout is delightfully clear and easy to read, and the numerous small illustrations break up the pages and add interest … . Students (and teachers!) not having had the benefit of such a course should certainly buy the book and read it. I also recommend it warmly to the general reader who would simply like to know more about the sounds he or she enjoys.
- Neville Fletcher in Acoustics Australia

About the Author
Ian Johnston spent his early years on a pineapple farm in southern Queensland, studied physics and mathematics at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney, and was appointed to a lecturing position at the University of Sydney in the late 1960s. He has been there ever since until he retired in 2001, except for two separate years in the U.S. at Cornell and Maryland Universities and one year in England at the Open University.

His early research work was in theoretical astrophysics, but lately he has become interested in research into physics education, with particular emphasis on the role to be played by computers and other forms of information technology. He has written a deal of educational software as a member of several international consortiums, most notably the Maryland University Project in Physics and Educational Technology (M.U.P.P.E.T.) and the Consortium for Upper-Level Physics Software (CUPS). His interest in acoustics and music has been with him all his working life.

In 1989 he made a series of six programs on Australian national radio, devoted to physics and music. It was from those programs that the idea of this book first arose. He has also made programs on other subjects of general interest, including astronomy and religion, science fiction and pseudo-science.

Customer Reviews

An unusual approach to the topic
I have used this book as the secondary text for a college course in the physics of music. There are a number of textbooks out there for courses of this sort (Rossing, Backus, Rigden, etc.) but this book takes a very different, historical approach, with a strong emphasis on scales and intonation. The mathematical level and level of detail are quite low--I found it hard to devise test questions to see whether the students had read the book. But it is written in a quirky, engaging style, and the students in the course found it a more enjoyable read than the main textbook by Rossing. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the relationship of history, physics, and music--no science background is required!

This book answered many questions
I've been trying to understand why music works like it does for several years, and stumbled onto this book by accident. It's exactly what I needed! It explains why musical scales are like they are, and how they got that way (which is important for understanding why it used to be significant which key some symphony was written in). It explains how harmony works, and melody too. And, how musical instruments work. And on top of that, it includes a very interesting history of science and of music, a very enjoyable read.

Entertaining and historically informed account
A superior and engaging account of how progress in the physical sciences is intertwined with the development of music theory and the evolution of musical instruments. The conversational tone of the text is never dry, and is liberally sprinkled with illustrations. There is music, science and history a-plenty here. You do not have to be "scientifically minded" to derive a great deal of pleasure and edification from the book, it has definitely been thoughtfully shaped by a professional educator. I first read this in 1990 and return to it time and again for reference, only to find myself absorbed in re-reading sections. Obviously a labor of love, "Measured Tones" deserves a wide audience. I wish Prof Johnston had written more!