About Music: Critical Listening Skills

PREVIEW—What Is Music?

Chapter 1: What Is Music?
1.1 What Is Music?
1.1.1 Types of Music
1.2 Elements of Music
1.2.1 Timbre/Texture
1.2.2 Rhythm
1.2.3 Melody
1.2.4 Harmony
1.2.5 Expressive Characteristics
1.2.6 Form
1.2.7 Style

PART 1—Sound in the Environment

Chapter 2: Basics of Sound
2.1 Subjective Sound
2.1.1 Vibration
2.1.2 Simple Harmonic Motion
2.1.3 Elasticity and Momentum
2.2 Frequency and Amplitude
2.2.1 Perception and Measurement of Frequency
2.2.2 Perception and Measurement of Amplitude
2.3 Transmission of Sound
2.3.1 Media
2.3.2 Resonance

Chapter 3: Complex Sound
3.1 Quality and Timbre
3.1.1 Harmonics
3.1.2 Harmonic Relationships to Pitch and Frequency
3.1.3 Harmonic Relationships to Loudness and Amplitude
3.2 Envelope
3.2.1 Temporal Factors
3.2.2 Description of Sound
3.3 Noise
3.3.1 Musical Uses of Noise
3.3.2 Noise in the Environment
3.3.3 Masking
3.4 Waveforms
3.4.1 Standing Waves
3.4.2 Transverse Waves
3.4.3 Longitudinal Waves

Chapter 4: Acoustic Properties of Music Instruments
4.1 Acoustic Classification of Traditional Music Instruments
4.2 Stringed Instruments
4.2.1 Bowing
4.2.2 Plucking
4.2.3 Striking
4.2.4 Instruments with Strings of Changing Length
4.2.5 Instruments with Strings of Fixed Length
4.2.6 Acoustic Properties of Stringed Instruments
4.3 Wind Instruments
4.3.1 Open and Closed Pipes
4.3.2 Edge Tones in Open Pipes
4.3.3 Reeds and Stopped Pipes
4.3.4 Brasswinds
4.3.5 The Human Voice
4.3.6 Acoustic Properties of Wind Instruments
4.4 Percussion Instruments
4.4.1 Stretched Membranes
4.4.2 Vibrating Rods
4.4.3 Vibrating Plates
4.4.4 Acoustic Properties of Percussion Instruments

Chapter 5: Sound in the Environment
5.1 Environmental Effects Upon Sound
5.1.1 Speed of Sound
5.1.2 Diffusion
5.1.3 Reflection and Refraction
5.1.4 Diffraction
5.1.5 Doppler Effect
5.2 Sound’s Effect Upon Sound
5.2.1 Interference
5.2.2 Beats
5.2.3 Perceived Tones
5.3 Principles of Good Room Acoustics
5.3.1 Reflection and Reverberation
5.3.2 Absorption and Insulation

PART 2—The Ears and Hearing

Chapter 6: Hearing and the Ears
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Hearing and Perception
6.3 The Outer Ear
6.3.1 Pinna (Auricle)
6.3.2 External Auditory Canal
6.4 The Middle Ear
6.4.1 The Ossicles
6.4.2 The Eustachian Tube
6.5 The Inner Ear
6.5.1 The Vestibular System
6.5.2 Bone Conduction
6.6 The Anatomy of the Cochlea
6.6.1 Cochlear Function
6.6.2 Cochlear Microphonics
6.6.3 The Coding of Auditory Signals
6.7 Auditory Impairment
6.7.1 Audiologists and Types of Hearing Loss
6.7.2 Conductive Hearing Loss
6.7.3 Otosclerosis
6.7.4 Sensorineural Hearing Loss
6.7.5 Aging or Presbycusis (Pres-be-q-sis)
6.7.6 Tinnitus (tin-NIGHT-us or TIN-it-tus)
6.7.7 Drugs
6.7.8 Very Loud Sounds
6.7.9 Nonorganic Hearing Loss
6.7.10 Hearing Aids
6.7.11 Implantable Hearing Devices

Chapter 7: Perception of Music
7.1 Aural Perception
7.2 The Physical Process
7.2.1 Nerve Cells
7.2.2 The Central Nervous System
7.2.3 Binaural Hearing
7.2.4 Brain Waves and Music
7.3 The Mental Process
7.3.1 Consonance and Dissonance
7.3.2 Intervals and Scales
7.3.3 Scale Construction
7.3.4 Temperament Systems
7.3.5 Summary

PART 3—Recording Sound

Chapter 8: History of Aural Recording
8.1 Recording Sound
8.1.1 Phonographs
8.1.2 Styli
8.1.3 Phono Cartridges
8.1.4 Magnetic Tape
8.1.5 Tape Formats
8.2 Analog versus Digital
8.2.1 Analog to Digital Conversion
8.2.2 Pulse Code Modulation
8.2.3 Digital Magnetic Recording
8.2.4 Compact Disc Technology
8.2.5 The Disc
8.3 MP3 Technology and Streaming

Chapter 9: Recording in the Digital Age
9.1 Benefits of Digital Audio
9.1.1 Listening Environment
9.1.2 Digital Audio Principles
9.1.3 Signal Flow
9.2 The Recording Process
9.2.1 Preproduction
9.2.2 Tracking
9.2.3 Overdubbing
9.2.4 Editing
9.2.5 Mixing
9.2.6 Mastering
9.2.7 Recording Techniques: Preparing to Record
9.3 Using a Microphone
9.3.1 Microphone Placement
9.3.2 Microphone Techniques for Vocalists
9.3.3 Microphone Techniques for Instrumentalists
9.3.4 Using Multiple Microphones
9.3.5 Stereo Microphone Techniques
9.3.6 Summary
9.4 Editing and Enhancing Performances
9.5 Microphone Reference Guide
9.6 Monitoring Systems
9.6.1 Monitor Speakers
9.7 Headphones

Chapter 10: Modern Production Effects
10.1 Effects in the Studio
10.1.1 Time-Based Effects versus Dynamic Processing Effects
10.2 What Is Reverb?
10.2.1 Reverb in Different Places
10.3 Delay
10.3.1 Delay versus Reverb
10.4 Other Time-Based Processing Effects
10.4.1 Chorus
10.4.2 Flanger
10.5 Dynamic Processing
10.5.1 Compression
10.5.2 Equalization
10.5.3 Subtractive EQ
10.5.4 Additive EQ
10.5.5 More EQ Techniques
10.6 Time-Based Effects Analysis Worksheet Explanation

PART 4—Analysis of Genre, Structure, and Form

Chapter 11: Genre and Instrumentation
11.1 Categorizing with Genre
11.1.1 Culture
11.1.2 Time Period and Age
11.1.3 Form
11.1.4 Rhythmic Patterns
11.1.5 Harmony
11.1.6 Instrumentation
11.2 Common Instruments in Many Genres
11.2.1 Voice
11.2.2 Guitar
11.2.3 Bass
11.2.4 Percussion
11.2.5 Keyboard Instruments
11.2.6 Winds
11.3 Genres
11.3.1 Classical
11.3.2 Ragtime
11.3.3 Blues
11.3.4 Jazz
11.3.5 Latin Jazz
11.3.6 Country
11.3.7 Protest Folk Music
11.3.8 Gospel
11.3.9 Swing
11.3.10 Soul
11.3.11 R&B
11.3.12 Rock
11.3.13 Electronic

Chapter 12: Form and Structure
12.1 Form
12.1.1 Form Elements
12.2 Pulse and Meter
12.2.1 Complexity in Meter
12.3 Phrases to Sections
12.3.1 Common Structures
12.4 Melody, Harmony, and Form
12.5 Formal Parts/Pieces
12.5.1 Review and Preview

Chapter 13: Analysis
13.1 Introduction to Analysis
13.2 Modern Musical Analysis
13.2.1 Compositional Levels (Albin J. Zak)
13.2.2 Form in Rock Music (John Covach)
13.2.3 Configuring the Sound Box (Ruth Dockwray and Allan F. Moore)
13.2.4 Considering Space (William Moylan)
13.2.5 Timbre as a Differentiation in Indie Music (David K. Blake)
13.2.6 Subverting the Verse–Chorus Paradigm: Terminally Climactic Forms in Recent Rock Music (Brad Osborn)
13.2.7 A System for Describing Vocal Timbre in Popular Song (Kate Heidemann)
13.3 Where to Start
13.4 Music
13.4.1 Lyrics
13.5 Visual Analysis Graph (Audio Timeliner)
13.6 Song Analysis Beyond Form
13.7 Analysis Projects
13.7.1 Form in Post-1965 Popular Music
13.7.2 Popular Music Analysis Project
13.7.3 Top Ten Song Analysis Project