Synopses & Reviews
Mathematics can be as effortless as humming a tune, if you know the tune, writes Gareth Loy. In
Musimathics, Loy teaches us the tune, providing a friendly and spirited tour of the mathematics of music: a commonsense, self-contained introduction for the nonspecialist reader. It is designed for musicians who find their art increasingly mediated by technology, and for anyone who is interested in the intersection of art and science.
In this volume, Loy presents the materials of music (notes, intervals, and scales); the physical properties of music (frequency, amplitude, duration, and timbre); the perception of music and sound (how we hear); and music composition. Musimathics is carefully structured so that new topics depend strictly on topics already presented, carrying the reader progressively from easy subjects to more advanced ones. Cross-references point to related topics and an extensive glossary defines commonly-used terms. The book explains the mathematics and physics of music for the reader whose mathematics may not have gone beyond the early undergraduate level.
Calling himself a composer seduced into mathematics, Loy provides answers to foundational questions about the mathematics of music accessibly yet rigorously. The topics are all subjects that contemporary composers, musicians, and musical engineers have found to be important. The examples given are all practical problems in music and audio. The level of scholarship and the pedagogical approach also make Musimathics ideal for classroom use. Additional material can be found at the companion web site.
Review
"From his long and successful experience as a composer and computer-music researcher, Gareth Loy knows what is challenging and what is important. That comprehensiveness makes *Musimathics* both exciting and enlightening. The book is crystal clear, so that even advanced issues appear simple. *Musimathics* will be essential for those who want to understand the scientific foundations of music, and for anyone wishing to create or process musical sounds with computers."--Jean-Claude Risset, Laboratoire de Mécanique et d'Acoustique, CNRS, FrancePlease note: There should be an acute accent over the first "e" in "Mecanique" in the endorser's affiliation. The MIT Press
Review
"*Musimathics* is destined to be required reading and a valued reference for every composer, music researcher, multimedia engineer, and anyone else interested in the interplay between acoustics and music theory. This is truly a landmark work of scholarship and pedagogy, and Gareth Loy presents it with quite remarkable rigor and humor."--Stephen Travis Pope, CREATE Lab, Department of Music, University of California, Santa Barbara The MIT Press
Review
"Volume 1 of *Musimathics* is the ideal introduction to the science of musical acoustics and composition theory, and volume 2 succeeds as no other tutorial does in making the theory of computer music and digital signal processing accessible to a broad audience. Loy's typically careful treatment leads to a book that combines readability and fun with exhaustive and meticulous coverage of each of the topics he addresses. It can serve equally well as an introduction and as a desk reference for experts."--Stephen Travis Pope, CREATE Lab, Department of Music, University of California, Santa Barbara The MIT Press
Review
"*Musimathics* is destined to be required reading and a valued reference for every composer, music researcher, multimedia engineer, and anyone else interested in the interplay between acoustics and music theory. This is truly a landmark work of scholarship and pedagogy, and Gareth Loy presents it with quite remarkable rigor and humor."--Stephen Travis Pope, CREATE Lab, Department of Music, University of California, Santa Barbara
"From his long and successful experience as a composer and computer-music researcher, Gareth Loy knows what is challenging and what is important. That comprehensiveness makes *Musimathics* both exciting and enlightening. The book is crystal clear, so that even advanced issues appear simple. *Musimathics* will be essential for those who want to understand the scientific foundations of music, and for anyone wishing to create or process musical sounds with computers."--Jean-Claude Risset, Laboratoire de Mécanique et d'Acoustique, CNRS, FrancePlease note: There should be an acute accent over the first "e" in "Mecanique" in the endorser's affiliation.
"From his long and successful experience as a composer and computer-music researcher, Gareth Loy knows what is challenging and what is important. That comprehensiveness makes *Musimathics* both exciting and enlightening. The book is crystal clear, so that even advanced issues appear simple. *Musimathics* will be essential for those who want to understand the scientific foundations of music, and for anyone wishing to create or process musical sounds with computers."--Jean-Claude Risset, Laboratoire de Mécanique et d'Acoustique, CNRS, FrancePlease note: This quote is identical to that used on the jacket of Vol.1. We have the endorser's permission to use it for the promotion of Vol.2.
"Volume 1 of *Musimathics* is the ideal introduction to the science of musical acoustics and composition theory, and volume 2 succeeds as no other tutorial does in making the theory of computer music and digital signal processing accessible to a broad audience. Loy's typically careful treatment leads to a book that combines readability and fun with exhaustive and meticulous coverage of each of the topics he addresses. It can serve equally well as an introduction and as a desk reference for experts."--Stephen Travis Pope, CREATE Lab, Department of Music, University of California, Santa Barbara
A commonsense, self-contained introduction to the mathematics and physics of music; essential reading for musicians, music engineers, and anyone interested in the intersection of art and science.
Synopsis
Mathematics can be as effortless as humming a tune, if you know the tune, writes Gareth Loy. In
Synopsis
A commonsense, self-contained introduction to the mathematics and physics of music; essential reading for musicians, music engineers, and anyone interested in the intersection of art and science.
About the Author
Gareth Loy is a musician and award-winning composer. He has published widely and, during a long and successful career at the cutting edge of multimedia computing, has worked as a researcher, lecturer, programmer, software architect, and digital systems engineer. He is President of Gareth, Inc., a provider of software engineering and consulting services internationally.