UNIT 1: THE ART OF SOUND

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Theodore Norton
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1 UNIT 1: THE ART OF SOUND 1.1 SOUND Sound is produced when an object vibrates and that movement travels through sound waves until it reaches our ears. Sound propagates at high speeds. The waves travel through the air at 340 meters per second, and they are transmitted the same way waves spread on water when we throw a stone. Usually, sound travels through the air, but it can also travel through other mediums like water or solid objects. In fact, sound travels faster through water (1.435 m/s) and even faster through materials like Wood (3.900 m/s) or iron (5.000 m/s). Graphical representations of sound waves 1

2 1.2 RESTS A rest is an element of music that is just as important as sound. Both elements are the basis of musical creation. A rest is the time in wich no sound is produced. When there is a rest in music, silence can be heard. 1.3 HOW WE HEAR Sounds are picked up by a very thin membrane in our ear, the eardrum, which connects the outer and middle ear. When sound waves hit the eardrum, the information produced by its vibration is transmitted to the brain. 2

3 1.4.QUALITIES OF SOUND Sound has four qualities or parameters which allow us to identify it: pitch, duration, intensity and timbre. If we try to describe a sound with words, we have to point out: - If the sound is high or low, that is the pitch - If the sound is long or short, we point out the duration - If the sound is loud or sofft, that is the intensity - If the sound comes from a voice or an instrument we point out the timbre. As we saw before, sound is produced by vibrating bodies. Therefore, the different qualities of sound are due to the different shapes and characteristics that those vibrations may have. - The pitch of sound depends on the wave frequency: the vibration speed. It is measured in units called hertzes (Hz) which show the number of vibrations per second. - The duration of sound depends on the wave persistence: how long the wave lasts until fading out. 3

4 - The intensity of sound depends on the wave amplitude: the distance between the points of highest vibration and repose of the object. It is measured in units called decibels (db). - The timbre depends on the mixture of root and harmonic sounds, which are different in each voice or instrument. 1.5 MUSIC Sound is the main material of music, music is made of sound. Music is a language and as a language it combines and organices sounds in an artistic way. Music is the art of combining sounds and rests over a period of time. 1.6 MUSIC THEORY The staff is the foundation upon which notes are drawn. The modern staff comprises five lines and four spaces. Clefs assign individual notes to certain lines or spaces. First, we will discuss the Treble Clef (also called the G Clef). (Clave de sol) The staff line which the clef wraps around is known as G (sol). Any note placed on this line becomes G (sol). A Ledger Line is a small line that extends the staff when we run out of room. 4

5 Notes duration: The length of time that a note is played is called its note duration, which is determined by the type of note. The whole note has the longest note duration in modern music. The half note has half the duration of a whole note. Two half notes occupy the same amount of time as one whole note. The quarter note is a fourth (or a quarter) of a whole note. 5

Four quarter notes occupy the same amount of time as one whole note. Two quarter notes equal the duration of a half note. Notes smaller in duration than a quarter note have flags.

6 Four quarter notes occupy the same amount of time as one whole note. Two quarter notes equal the duration of a half note. Notes smaller in duration than a quarter note have flags. Each flag halves the value of a note. An eighth note has one flag. Therefore, two eighth notes occupy the same amount of time as one quarter note. A sixteenth note has two flags, halving the value again. Two sixteenth notes equal the duration of an eighth note. Four sixteenth notes occupy the same amount of time as one quarter note. Notes represent duration. Although rests have no sound, they do have a duration. Each note type has a corresponding rest. The time signature: The division of musical time into equal parts based on accents that create tension and let-up. The time signature can be duple time, triple time or quadruple time. 6

7 Bars are divided using bar lines and a double bar line is placed at the end. 1.7 NOISE POLLUTION Sound is essential to our daily lives, but noise is not. Noise is generally used as an unwanted sound, or sound wich produces unpleasant effects and discomfort on the ears. Sound becomes unwanted when it either interferes with normal actvities. Scientist also believe that it s not only humans who are affected. For example, water animals are subjected to noise by submarines and big ships on the ocean. 7

8 Generally, noise is produced by household gadgeets, big trucks, vehicles and motorbikes on the road, jet planes and helicopters hovering cities, loud speakers, etc. Noise is measured in the units of decibels and is denoted by the db. The industrial limit of sound in the industries must be 75dB according to the World Health Organization. 1.8 MUSIC AND NOISE The Helikopter- Streitchquartett (Karlheinz Stockhausen) The Typewriter (Leroy Anderson) The Year 1812 ( Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) 4.33 J. Cage 8

9 1.9 AUDITIONS Table 1 The Helicopter String Quartet TÍTULO: The Helikopter-Streichquartett (The Helicopter String Quartet) AUTOR: Karlheinz Stockhausen ÉPOCA: COMENTARIO: 9

10 Table 2 The typewriter TÍTULO: The Typewriter AUTOR: Leroy Anderson ÉPOCA: COMENTARIO: 10

11 Table 3 The Year 1812 TÍTULO: The Year 1812 AUTOR: Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky ÉPOCA: COMENTARIO: 11

12 Table 4 4,33 TÍTULO: 4.33 AUTOR: J. Cage ÉPOCA: COMENTARIO: 12

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UNIT 1: QUALITIES OF SOUND. DURATION (RHYTHM)

UNIT 1: QUALITIES OF SOUND. DURATION (RHYTHM) 1. SOUND, NOISE AND SILENCE Essentially, music is sound. SOUND is produced when an object vibrates and it is what can be perceived by a living organism through