Music theory

Music theory is a field of study that describes the elements of music and includes the development and application of methods for analyzing and composing music, and the interrelationship between the notation of music and performance practice. Broadly, theory may include any statement, belief, or conception of music (Boretz, 1995).

Sound

Music theory describes how sounds, which travel in waves, are notated, and how what is sounded, or played, is perceived by listeners. The study of how humans interpret sound is called psychoacoustics, while the cognitive aspects of how perceived sounds are interpreted into musical structures is studied in music cognition. In music, sound waves are usually measured not by length (or wavelength) or period, but by frequency.

Related Topics:
Sound - Waves - Psychoacoustics - Music cognition - Wavelength - Frequency

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Every object has a resonant frequency which is determined by the object's composition. The different frequencies at which the sound producers of most instruments vibrate are given by the harmonic series. The resonators of musical instruments are designed to exploit these frequencies. Different instruments have different timbres because of variation in the size and shape of the instrument.

Related Topics:
Resonant frequency - Frequencies - Harmonic series - Musical instrument - Timbre

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Often the fundamental aspects of sound and music are described as pitch, duration, intensity, and timbre.

Related Topics:
Pitch - Duration - Intensity - Timbre

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