MUAR 211 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Gregorian Chant, Equal Temperament, Music Theory
17 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Organization of sound in the music of western culture. Pitch created by vibration traveling through a certain medium (air) to the ear of the listener a sound-producing vibration that oscillates (beats) at a definite and prescribed rate of speed. Ex: the pitch a = 440 mhz (beats per second) Pitches are named using the first seven letters of the alphabet only (a b c d e. Fg: the letter name of the white notes on the piano) The distance in frequency between two pitches. Can be either upward distance (higher) or downward distance (lower) Might be described generally as large" or small". Described much more specifically by a variety of culturally-based systems. Natural phenomenon dictated by the physics of sound. Fundamental property of sound recognized by all musical cultures. Octave = the interval/distance between two pitches. Frequencies = 2:1 mathematical ratio (i. e. the higher of the two pitches vibrates at twice the speed of the lower)
