Acoustics In Music Essays - Acoustics, Sound, Qualia, Waves

Acoustics In Music Acoustics in Music Through out the history of music, acoustics have played a major role. After all if it were not for acoustics the quality of sound that we know today would not exist. The word acoustics comes from the Greek word akouein, which means, to hear(Encarta Encyclopedia). Since music has to be heard in most cases for enjoyment, acoustics obviously take on a very important role in the pleasure that music brings to the ear. Acoustical architecture and design are two key elements in the way music sounds. For example, an electric guitar played in a concert hall would sound very different compared to the sound produced in a small room. These differences can be explained by the acoustical design of the room and the reverb created by both the instrument and the room in which it is played. These differences signify the importance of acoustics in music. Nelson 2 A Roman architect named Marcus Pollio, who lived in the first century BC, was the first to study the acoustics of buildings. He made some pertinent observations on the subject and some astute guesses concerning reverberation and interference(Encarta). Reverberation and interference are two of the more important aspects of acoustical architecture. Both deal with the sound waves music or instruments make. By understanding reverberation, which is the echoing of sound waves, early architects could better construct buildings and auditoriums that would produce better acoustics. An architect has two types of material he can use to modify a building to deal with reverberation and the quality of sound. In many buildings such as meeting halls and auditoriums where echoes are not wanted, absorption materials such as cork and felt are used to absorb reverberations. On the other hand, in buildings such as concert halls and opera houses where reverberation is important reflecting material is used. Materials such as metal and most stones can Nelson 3 be use to reflect sound waves to the audience. With these materials an architect can modify the way sound travels in his building. Another aspect of acoustics that architects and conductors most take into consideration are the number of people seated in the audience. The number of people in an auditorium or hall will greatly effect the reverberation of sound. Empty seats reflect sound waves back to the performers; however, when the seats are full of people, the people absorb the sound. Architects must also give attention to interference. Interference arises from the difference in the distances traversed by the direct and reflected sound and produces so-called dead spots, in which certain ranges of frequencies are canceled out(Encarta). These dead spots can be caused by the difference in the densities of building materials. Dead spots can dramatically effect the total quality of sound if they are large in number. There are many aspects of acoustics that architects must address to create a satisfactory environment for listening to music or a spoken message. Nelson 4 Given the effects that acoustics have on the music we hear and the way we judge the musicians, it is easy to see why architects pay close attention to acoustics. An architect designing a building where the quality of sound is important must take into consideration all the things I have mentioned. If one aspect of acoustics is left out, the end result could be a bad sounding hall, auditorium, opera house or theater. Bad acoustics could bring about a negative opinion of the performers, even if their actual performance was flawless. In order to produce the highest quality sound, a building has to be acoustically sound. So the next time you attend a concert or any type of indoor-musical performance, consider the acoustics of the building before making a negative judgement of the performers. In a sense the architectural design of a building could be considered an instrument and the architect a performer, quite possibly the most important combination of all. Music

An Apush DBQ Essay Sample That Will Keep You Writing

An Apush DBQ Essay Sample That Will Keep You WritingWhen it comes to writing an Apush DBQ essay sample, you must understand that you are going to have to do a lot of reading. Reading is the very first step in a writer's path to perfecting their craft. The material being used will be rich in grammar and spelling errors. Even the context of each sentence is not always clear and some minor errors could just completely ruin your essay.So I recommend that you make the pages double-spaced so that you can quickly skim through each page without any loss of information. Most students are on their laptops at the moment so they are probably only able to get one page to read at a time. This is why I highly recommend that you also get a good quality notebook with paper and ink. While you are doing this, try to avoid falling asleep as the reading portion of your essay is probably the most important part of your writing. If you do fall asleep, make sure that you get up right away so that you can ca tch your breath and finish your task.You will find many different forms of Apush DBQ essays in Apush. There are Form letters, Postcards, Texts, Essay Notebooks, Business Letters, and a whole bunch more.Essay samples written in English are not the only forms of writing for you to consider. You could choose from a number of other forms such as Writing Queries, Marketing Letters, and Web Slides. These forms are great for helping you come up with some catchy marketing copy.To make sure that you get the most out of your Apush DBQ sample essay, you will need to use several different forms. What works best for you may not work the same for others. So try different styles to see which style is the most comfortable for you.In English, you will need to be careful with your grammar and punctuation. As well as with spelling and pronunciation, don't forget to take proper care of your grammar.So be careful when you write in English. Think about how your text would sound if it were written in the language of the writers. As you get better at your English, you should consider adding in your English writing samples to your portfolio so that you can improve in English.