Physics of Music

There are four classes of musical instruments: strings, winds, percussion, and electrical. Drums fall into the percussion category. The instruments classified within this group create music when struck, and include bells, triangles, tambourines, xylophones, and drums. Drums are built in varying sizes and with varying materials but share some basic characteristics. They consist of a hollow cylinder of wood or metal and are covered at one or both ends by a membrane of parchment, skin, or some other material. Thumbscrews are used to stretch or loosen the membrane over the end. The membrane is struck with some sort of drumstick; these may also vary in size, shape, and material. These variable factors of both the drum and the drumstick will affect the sound produced by the drum. For instance, small sticks will produce a sharper effect than large sticks.

The origination of sound occurs when the drumstick is used to strike the membrane. This causes the membrane to vibrate. As the air immediately next to this membrane is pushed away and bounces back

. . .
e by words such as shrill, warm, harsh, or dull. It is not as narrowly defined as pitch, and drums will differ in timbre more noticeably than pitch. The third quality of sound is loudness. Loudness is related to the intensity and is defined by the amplitude or size of the pressure vibrations in the wave. When compared to the clarinet, bass viol, piano, trumpet, and trombone, the bass drum produces the greatest loudness (Pierce, 1983, 184). All of these qualities are produced at the source of the sound, the vibration of the membrane. This vibration then moves through the air, which has elasticity and mass. This is accomplished by a series of compressions and expansions. Examples of air compression and expansion are visible in simple acts of pumping a tire full of air (compression) and blowing up a balloon (expansion). When the membrane of a drum is struck, it causes the air particles or molecules immediately next to it to compress. The particles then expand against the air particles next to them forming a little shell of compression. This shell in its turn compresses and expands creating another shell. This continues until the longitudinal sound wave is reflected, refracted, absorbed, or diffused. These effects are impo
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Physics Music, Olson HF, Pierce JR, Inc Taylor, taylor 1976, middle ear, basilar membrane, Scribner's Sons, taylor 1976 143, instrument creates sound, ear outer ear, captured human ear, immediately membrane, create music, inner ear, oval window, creates sound, musical note, sound created,
Approximate Word count = 1226
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Physics of Music