Physics of Musical Sound: Course Schedule

This is the planned schedule for the course including required readings.

This ends up as a rather packed semester with a lot of good stuff at the end. Whenever the readings are clear I expect you to have done them prior to class. You will probably want to revisit them after class as well but coming to class primed is a big help to you.

Wk #
M Date

 Monday Wednesday Friday
0
8/26		  

C-1
Intro, a little math, some
big ideas

1
9/2
C-2
From force to vibration
Chap. 1 & Chap. 2.1-2.3		 C-3
Normal Modes
Chap. 2.4-2.7

L-1
String Lab
H-1 due

2
9/9		 C-4
Waves 1
Chap. 3.1-3.7     Q-1
 C-5
Waves 2
Chap. 3.8-3.11		 C-6
Resonance
Chap. 4. H-2 due
3
9/16		 C-7
Anatomy & Physiology
Chap. 5.1-5.3     Q-2		 C-8
Psychophysics
Chap. 5.4-5.9

L-2
Measuring your Hearing
H-3 due

4
9/23		 C-9
Loudness and Math
Chap. 6.1-6.4     Q-3		 C-10
The sensation of Pitch
Chap. 7.1-7.8		 C-11
Timbre
Chap. 7.9-7.13 H-4
5
9/30
C-12
Musical Notation
Chap. 8.1-8.5     Q-4		 C-13
Scales & Harmonic Series
Chap. 9		 L-3
SoundTool
H-5
6
10/7
C-14
Strings 1
Chap. 10.1-10.8     Q-5		 C-15
Strings 2
Chap. 10.9-10.16		 C-16
Keyboards 1
Chap. 14.1-14.9 H-6
7
10/14		 Field trip C-17
Brass 1
Chap. 11.1-11.4		 October Break
8
10/21		 C-118
Brass 2
Chap. 11.5-11.14		 Mid-Term Exam 1
Covers material up thru Class 16.
 No Class-I am away
9
10/28		 C-19
Winds 1
Chap. 12.1-12.9     Q-6		 C-20
Winds 2
Chap. 12.10-12.14
 L-4
Tube Lab
Intro. projects, H-7
10
11/4
C-21
Percussion 1
Chap. 13.1-13.11     Q-7		 C-22
Percussion 2 (trip?)
Chap. 13.12-13.18 		C-23
Human voice
Bits of chaps. 15-17, H-8
11
11/11		 C-24
Hall Acoustics
Chap. 23                  Q-8
 Field Trip

L-5
Drum Lab
Review projects! H-9
12
11/18		 C-25
Keyboards 2
Chap. 14.10-14.15		 Field Trip Mid-term exam 2
Covers material through class 24.
11/25 Thanksgiving Break
13
12/2

No formal class
Group project appointments.

 C-26
Electronics and Music
Bits of section V		 C-27
Electronics and Music
Bits of section V&VII H-10
14
12/9		 No formal class
Group project appointments.		 C-28
Synthesizers
Bits of section VII		 L-6
Synthesizer lab
Papers due
15
12/16
Public Presentations Thursday 12/19 2 pm to 5 pm.

 

 

Physics 175