Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Making
Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • Extremely useful and doable, even for a layperson
  • Excellent
  • Get this book!
  • Practical information for practically everyone
  • Impractical
Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Making
Bart Hopkin
Manufacturer: See Sharp Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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  1. Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition
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ASIN: 1884365086

Book Description

This is an encyclopedic, large-format book containing hundreds of illustrations. While not geared toward making conventional instruments, Musical Instrument Design provides all the information that anyone (amateur or professional) should ever need to construct an amazingly wide variety of percussion, string, and wind instruments. Includes many designs along with parts lists and detailed construction instructions.

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars Extremely useful and doable, even for a layperson.......2007-07-16

This book has very useful information on essentially all types of instruments, even keyboard-ish instruments. These instruments are definitely NOT little kiddy playthings - I wouldn't recommend getting it for your ten-year-old - but can be constructed even by those who don't have a plethora of equipment and supplies. Quite absorbing, especially for those who wish to make a wide variety of playable-quality instruments. Also, one can easily improvise. Very highly recommended!

5 out of 5 stars Excellent.......2007-05-29

Valuable, enjoyable and an interesting read and reference. I would replace it if I lost it.

5 out of 5 stars Get this book!.......2007-03-03

These projects will get your kids off the streets and provide hours of fun for you and your whole family, as you reinvent your own voice. Passive listening to music may relax you, but actively participating in the creation of your very own sounds is therapeutic and will lift up your heart and make your soul sing. Put your iPods in the closet. When was the last time YOU made the music?

4 out of 5 stars Practical information for practically everyone.......2006-03-28

If what you want to do is make a guitar or violin from scratch, there are better books than this one. However, if you want to understand how and why musical instruments of all kinds are built the way they are, this book has you covered. There's information on instruments that are percussive, stringed (both plucked and bowed), and blown into. Most useful are the tips on how to get these things tuned in such a way that they are useful for making music.

Check out the "windworld" web site for some examples of the experimental instruments Hopkin has created.

The book contains information on building materials (with tips on where to get them), music and sound theory, and some history when relevant to an instrument he is trying to emulate. It's certainly not exhaustive, but gives you just enough to get your creativity flowing. I would have liked to see more illustrations and or photographs showing the assembly of some of these instruments, but that's not to say that the book isn't already full of illustrations. I just want more.

One other thing to note is that this isn't a book about making toys for kids. No pie plate tambourines here. This is 175 pages of serious information and ideas, a bargain at this price.

2 out of 5 stars Impractical.......2005-08-19

This book should be titled "The Physics of Musical Instruments." I was hoping to get info to help me design a new Belizean form of Ukulele, and it was no help at all. Info on the resonance of stringed instruments is sketchy at best. The book concentrates on the characteristics of sound, using a instruments (actually experiments) such as a metal cylinder balanced on a couple of balloons. Mildly interesting but not relevant for me.
Harmonious Triads: Physicists, Musicians, and Instrument Makers in Nineteenth-Century Germany (Transformations: Studies in the History of Science and Technology)
Average customer rating: Not rated
    Harmonious Triads: Physicists, Musicians, and Instrument Makers in Nineteenth-Century Germany (Transformations: Studies in the History of Science and Technology)
    Myles W. Jackson
    Manufacturer: The MIT Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0262101165

    Book Description

    Historically, music was long classified as both art and science. Aspects of music--from the mathematics of tuning to the music of the celestial spheres--were primarily studied as science until the seventeenth century. In the nineteenth century, although scientists were less interested in the music of the spheres than the natural philosophers of earlier centuries, they remained committed to understanding the world of performing musicians and their instruments. In Harmonious Triads, Myles Jackson analyzes the relationship of physicists, musicians, and instrument makers in nineteenth-century Germany. Musical instruments provided physicists with experimental systems, and physicists' research led directly to improvements in musical-instrument manufacture and assisted musicians in their performances. Music also provided scientists with a cultural resource, which forged acquaintances and future collaborations.

    Jackson discusses experiments in acoustical vibrations that led to the invention of musical instruments and describes work with adiabatic phenomena that resulted in the improvement of the reed pipe, used by organ builders. He examines the collaborations of physicists and mechanicians aimed at standardizing beat and pitch and considers debates stirred by the standardization of aesthetic qualities. He describes the importance for scientists of choral societies as a vehicle for social life and cultural unity. Finally, he discusses a subject that occupied both physicists and musicians of the era: Could physicists, using the universal principles of mechanics, explain musical skill? Was the virtuosity of a Paganini or a Liszt somehow quantifiable? Jackson's historical consideration of questions at the intersection of music and physics shows us how each discipline helped shape the other.
    The Violin Explained: Components, Mechanism, and Sound
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • A must read for every violinist and luthier!
    • Worth the Money
    The Violin Explained: Components, Mechanism, and Sound
    James Beament
    Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    1. Violin-Making: A Historical and Practical Guide Violin-Making: A Historical and Practical Guide
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    3. The Amadeus Book of the Violin: Construction, History, and Music The Amadeus Book of the Violin: Construction, History, and Music
    4. Useful Measurements for Violin Makers: A Reference For Shop Use Useful Measurements for Violin Makers: A Reference For Shop Use
    5. Art of Violin Making Art of Violin Making

    ASIN: 0198167393

    Book Description

    There are more curious beliefs about the violin than any other instrument. Physicists have now discovered how the violin family produce their sound, but this knowledge is not generally accessible to players and makers. In this book, now available in paperback, Sir James Beament, a distinguished scientist with a livelong involvement with musical instruments, explains, without asssuming any scientific background, how strings vibrate, and the role played by the bow, bridge, and body in producing sound. Those discoveries do not give a satisfactory explanation of what we hear, and the core of the book explains how the sound relates to the sensations it produces. This leads to the conclusion that most of the myths about violins are groundless, but also that nothing can be achieved by applying modern technology to making or playing. Practical advice on strings, maintenance, purchase and children's instruments completes the discussion.

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars A must read for every violinist and luthier!.......2003-05-20

    This book contains the most important physical aspects of how a violin works, in a format you wont need a Ph.D. to understand. While "The Physics of the Violin" is a more complete reference, this manuscript does a better job of putting the physical principles in the contexts of musicians and luthiers. I recommend it to every violinist, especially those who like to tinker with their instrument!

    5 out of 5 stars Worth the Money.......2000-01-28

    The mechanical physics involed in sound being produced by a violin are concisely explained. The book relates what the physical principles are that determine the overall sound, while at the same time maintaining a respect for the craftmen of old who created so many legends about why a violin sounds as it does. I like this book!
    Music, Physics and Engineering
    Average customer rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
    • Still could be helpful
    • From the Father of the Mark II
    Music, Physics and Engineering
    Harry F. Olson
    Manufacturer: Dover Publications
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    4. Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Making Musical Instrument Design: Practical Information for Instrument Making
    5. Math and Music: Harmonious Connections Math and Music: Harmonious Connections

    ASIN: 0486217698

    Book Description

    This extraordinarily comprehensive text, requiring no special background in physics, math or music, discusses the nature of sound waves, musical instruments, musical notation, acoustic materials, elements of sound reproduction systems — from the telephone to stereo sound systems — and electronic music. "Very thorough, and full of well-presented facts." — Musical Times. Includes 376 figures.

    Customer Reviews:

    3 out of 5 stars Still could be helpful.......2003-07-13

    Although this book was first published over 50 years ago, there are still many parts of it that can still be read profitably, due mostly to the fact that musical theory and the physics of musical instruments does not change with time. I read the book years ago to get some ideas for physics demonstrations in the classroom, and it was of great assistance in that regard. Those readers who intend to specialize in musical engineering would still find it a useful supplement to more modern treatments. The audio CD of course was not known at the time of publication, nor even the 8-track tape, but the development of both of these technologies was dependent on what came before them, and so a perusal of this book will allow insight into more contemporary technologies. The book also is one of the first to emphasize the psychological factors that must be taken into account when developing a technology for sound reproduction. The author in fact emphasizes the need for paying attention to the psychological factors in the preface to the second edition of the book. With the incredible advances in sound reproduction that have taken place since this book was written, one can appreciate his comments even more. One can only give thanks to the ingenuity of the sound and musical engineers both in the author's time and now for giving the listener an incredibly rich and satisfying auditory experience.

    4 out of 5 stars From the Father of the Mark II.......2000-05-10

    The science of musical sound has evolved a great deal since 1966 when the second edition of 'Music, Physics and Engineering' was first published. However, this historical work can be of value to musical engineers even in today's fast changing technological world.

    The author, Harry F. Olson was staff vice president of the acoustical and electromechanical research department of RCA laboratories. The thorough science reported in this book was perhaps instrumental in the development of the RCA Mark II Electronic Music Synthesizer of the Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center.

    Chapters such as: Sound Waves, Musical Terminology, Musical Scales, Resonators and Radiators, Musical Instruments, Characteristics of Musical Instruments and Properties of Music have much to teach those with an engineering background about the science of music.

    This book has been extraordinarily useful to me in seeking to design sound events in software with nothing other than a 'C' compiler and some audio file format spec sheets to work with. It is a great read for the aspiring musical engineer.
    Tuning: Containing the Perfection of Eighteenth-Century Temperament, the Lost Art of Nineteenth-Century Temperment and the Science of Equal Temperme
    Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    • Temper, temper...
    Tuning: Containing the Perfection of Eighteenth-Century Temperament, the Lost Art of Nineteenth-Century Temperment and the Science of Equal Temperme
    Owen H. Jorgensen
    Manufacturer: Michigan State Univ Pr
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 0870132903

    Customer Reviews:

    5 out of 5 stars Temper, temper..........2003-05-16

    This absolutely enormous book is one of the classics on musical temperament; for some reason most such books are out of print and hard to get hold of, and this is no exception. The title has got cut off in the Amazon entry - the full title is: "Tuning: Containing the Perfection of Eighteenth-Century Temperament, the Lost Art of Nineteenth-Century Temperment and the Science of Equal Temperment, Complete with Instructions for Aural and Electronic Tuning." It is a mixture of history of tunings and temperaments, and explicit tuning instructions for various temperaments. An interesting thread running through the book is a detailed argument to the effect that equal temperament was not commonplace until the twentieth century.

    If you're interested in this book, you might want to get hold of the recordings by Enid Katahn, "Six degrees of Tonality" and "Beethoven in the Temperaments." The former consists of recordings of a number of pieces from different periods of musical history, played on a piano tuned by Edward Foote in temperaments appropriate to the era. Also included are three different takes of the Mozart Fantasie Kv.397 in meantone, "Prelleur" temperament and equal temperament.

    Other books you might want to check out are Barbour's "Tuning and Temperament" and Dominique Devie's "Le Tempérament Musical."
    Sound Synthesis and Sampling, Second Edition (Music Technology)
    Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
    • good but could be more mathematical
    • Hopelessly and uselessly academic
    • EXCELLENT - couldn't put it down
    • yesterday today tomorrow
    • Dense and far-reaching material - excellent resource
    Sound Synthesis and Sampling, Second Edition (Music Technology)
    Martin Russ
    Manufacturer: Focal Press
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Paperback

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    ASIN: 0240516923

    Book Description

    Sound Synthesis and Sampling provides a comprehensive introduction to the underlying principles and practical techniques applied to both commercial and research sound synthesizers. This second edition has been rigorously updated throughout and includes a new chapter on performance, examining how synthesizers have become embedded within more sophisticated musical performance instruments.

    Martin Russ highly readable and non-mathematical approach makes the subject accessible whatever your level of experience. The book features:
    · Detailed illustrations to aid your understanding
    · Topics presented in bite-size sections within each chapter
    · Additional notes in the margin to reinforce important points
    · Examples of representative instruments and software
    · Time lines showing the development of a topic in its historical context
    · Questions at the end of each chapter for checking your comprehension
    · A glossary for quick reference
    · A jargon guide to demystify the varied terminology

    As such, the book is particularly suitable for students of music technology, audio engineering, acoustics, electronics and related courses. Musicians, engineers and multimedia specialists will also want to keep a copy to hand for reference.
    .

    * Suitable for students of music technology at all levels
    * Questions are provided at the end of each chapter to aid learning
    * Features a new chapter on performance

    Customer Reviews:

    4 out of 5 stars good but could be more mathematical .......2005-08-31

    I like this book 'bout being very concise and detailed about the various synthesis processes, but a bit more mathemtics could get some of my curiosities fulfilled. The theory is excellent and understanding the different synthesis types is a breeze; the flowcharts are intuitive and diagrams are detailed. I love the presentation of each topic, and the humour of the author while reading it. A great starting point for music technology enthusiasts but no advice on programming synths or using advanced software like reaktor, so it could be more expansive on some perfomance and programming areas. Overall great reading value.

    1 out of 5 stars Hopelessly and uselessly academic.......2004-12-08

    I was disappointed by this book. It is 100% theory and history of synthesis, written in a typical pedantic British style of writing (sorry, Brits) with 0% actual practical content. It's a mix of a bit of synthesis history with a bit of acoustics describing how these things make sound. But it seems to miss the point, and one could learn more just by playing a synthesiser for an hour than learning this book from cover to cover. If you're investingating this book with an eye towards learning how to program synths or better understand them, I think you'll be disappointed. It spends a lot of time discussing the pioneers (DX7, etc.) but doesn't even mention some of the most important synths of the day (Waldorf, Virus) and there's only a brief mention of softwaresynths (Reaktor, Reason) and none of softsamplers (Unity, Giga, etc.)) I think this book misses the mark; it fills your head with facts and figures but doesn't give you much that's actually useful. Sorry fellas.

    5 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT - couldn't put it down.......2003-05-10

    A friend gave me the loan of this book when I asked some questions about synthesis. I read it twice before I reluctantly gave it back. After that I order my own copy from amazon. I really love this book. It is so well written. Enjoyable and informative. There is no maths and everything is explained in a simple fashion. I would like to see a series written by these two authors going into further detail on each of the types of snthesis covered.
    I'd thoroughly advise it to anyone especially Music Technology students or Computer Music students.

    5 out of 5 stars yesterday today tomorrow.......2002-11-09

    I got into computer music with Sonar and using only software synthesizers I opened up a whole new universe of sound. This book will help you on your way. A little history not much math but a lot of help. If you intend to follow this path give this book a read!

    5 out of 5 stars Dense and far-reaching material - excellent resource.......2002-06-22

    If you have interest in finding out exactly what's happening with the sound as you twiddle those knobs, this book is an excellent choice. The author does a fine job of presenting an extraordinary amount of material - you will learn real, in-depth background about acoustics and synthesis techniques. I find myself constantly referring to this book when I am in my studio.
    Physics of the Violin
    Average customer rating: Not rated
      Physics of the Violin
      Lothar Cremer
      Manufacturer: The MIT Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      ASIN: 0262031027

      Book Description

      This major work covers almost all that has been learned about the acoustics of stringed instruments from Helmholtz's 19th-century theoretical elaborations to recent electroacoustic and holographic measurements.

      Many of the results presented here were uncovered by the author himself (and by his associates and students) over a 20-year period of research on the physics of instruments in the violin family. Lothar Cremer is one of the world's most respected authorities on architectural acoustics and, not incidentally, an avid avocational violinist and violist.

      The book - which was published in German in 1981 - first of all meets the rigorous technical standards of specialists in musical acoustics. But it also serves the needs and interests of two broader groups: makers and players of stringed instruments are expressly addressed, since the implications of the mathematical formulations are fully outlined and explained; and acousticians in general will find that the work represents a textbook illustration of the application of fundamental principles and up-to-date techniques to a specific problem.

      The first - and longest - of the book's three parts investigates the oscillatory responses of bowed (and plucked) strings. The natural nonlinearities that derive from considerations of string torsion and bending stiffness are deftly handled and concisely modeled.

      The second part deals with the body of the instrument. Special attention is given to the bridge, which transmits the oscillations of the strings to the wooden body and its air cavity. In this case, linear modeling proves serviceable for the most part - a simplification that would not be possible with lute - like instruments such as the guitar.

      The radiation of sound from the body into the listener's space, which is treated as an extension of the instrument itself, is the subject of the book's final part.

      Lothar Cremer is Professor Emeritus at the Technical University of Berlin, where he served as director of the Institute for Acoustical Engineering.
      Science of Percussion Instruments (Series in Popular Science)
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Engineering of Percussion Instruments.
      Science of Percussion Instruments (Series in Popular Science)
      Thomas D. Rossing
      Manufacturer: World Scientific Publishing Company
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Hardcover

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      PercussionPercussion | Instruments & Performers | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
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      5. The Percussionist's Art: Same Bed, Different Dreams (Eastman Studies in Music) (Eastman Studies in Music) The Percussionist's Art: Same Bed, Different Dreams (Eastman Studies in Music) (Eastman Studies in Music)

      ASIN: 9810241585

      Book Description

      Percussion instruments may be our oldest musical instruments, but only recently have they become the subject of extensive scientific study. This book focuses on how percussion instruments vibrate and produce sound and how these sounds are perceived by listeners.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Engineering of Percussion Instruments........2004-01-09

      Learn the science behind what makes each percussion instrument sound like it does. This book would be great for someone who is into making their own drums and wants the science behind them. It does not give you construction plans though. Also percussionists who would like to learn what is happening when they are playing would also find this book interesting and helpful.
      The Physics of Musical Instruments (Springer Study Edition)
      Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
      • Hard-core book on the physics of musical instruments
      • The best reference work under this title.
      • An excellent musical acoustics book
      The Physics of Musical Instruments (Springer Study Edition)
      Neville H. Fletcher , and Thomas D. Rossing
      Manufacturer: Springer
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      1. Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition
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      5. On the Sensations of Tone On the Sensations of Tone

      ASIN: 0387941517

      Book Description

      While the history of musical instruments is nearly as old as civilization itself, the science of acoustics is quite recent. By understanding the physical basis of how instruments are used to make music, one hopes ultimately to be able to give physical criteria to distinguish a fine instrument from a mediocre one. At that point science may be able to come to the aid of art in improving the design and performance of musical instruments. As yet, many of the subtleties in musical sounds of which instrument makers and musicians are aware remain beyond the reach of modern acoustical measurements. Indeed, for many musical instruments it is only within the past few years that musical acoustics has achieved even a reasonable understanding of the basic mechanisms determining the tone quality, and in some cases even major features of the sounding mechanism have only recently been unravelled. This book describes the results of such acoustical investigations ß intellectual and practical exercises of great fascination.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Hard-core book on the physics of musical instruments.......2006-02-17

      This is a one-of-a-kind book on the physics of musical instruments. However, be aware that it is a book about physics ONLY. There are no hints or exercises on how to model musical instruments, nothing on acoustics or psychoacoustics, synthesis, etc. In other words, do not expect an expanded version of Perry Cook's book "Real Sound Synthesis for Interactive Applications". If you can deal with these expectations, then this is a worthwhile read for those interested in the pure physics of musical instruments who are willing to do the work of implementing the synthesis themselves, if that is the reader's ultimate goal. The first eight chapters of the book provide some pretty good background material on vibrating systems and sound waves that should be read sequentially. However, from chapter 9 through 21 the author just presents the physics of each instrument with no real organization by chapter, unless you count the fact that the physics of the instruments are presented in groups organized as either percussion, wind, or stringed instruments. There is a final chapter on materials and their properties that doesn't really fit in with previous chapters. Each chapter has an extensive bibliography. I would recommend this book for anyone interested in the physics of musical instruments and has the necessary mathematical maturity to handle the material. The reader who has taken a year of college physics with maybe a specific class on acoustics and who also is comfortable with calculus and both partial and ordinary differential equations would be best qualified to make the most of the information in this book. Having had a course in the EE topic of Signals and Systems wouldn't hurt either when it comes to the discussions of frequency analysis and response.
      The books that helped me get through the math and physics of this volume were Kinsler's "Fundamentals of Acoustics", "Introduction to Partial Differential Equations with Applications" by Zachmanoglou, and finally, an out-of-print work: "Schaum's Outline of Acoustics" by Seto, ISBN 0070563284.

      5 out of 5 stars The best reference work under this title........2005-10-14

      This is the long-awaited second edition of Fletcher & Rossing. Note first that it really is a reference work, not a teaching text. There is no lesson plan, no problems, no solutions manual, no accompanying workbook Except for the first two foundation sections on vibrating systems and sound waves, there is no ongoing development. Nothing builds. It's just one topic piled on another.
      But the great merit of reference works is that you can cherry-pick, i.e. seek information on isolated topics with little concern for what preceded them. As a reference work, F&R get the highest possible marks from me. They are clearly the masters of this field, not least because of their numerous important contributions to it. With the possible exception of the works of Arthur Benade, they own the business.
      Despite its enormous size and great depth of coverage, however, it is not an encyclopedic study of musical instruments. It is exactly what the title says: a work on the PHYSICS of musical instruments. A rigid boundary has been drawn between physics and every other aspect of music-making. In particular, psychoacoustics is totally ignored. There are no entries in the index under loudness, Fletcher-Munson, combination tones, false bass, consonance, dissonance, etc. Even equal temperament tuning gets little more than one page out of 756.
      The Preface says the work is addressed to "the reader...who is not frightened by a little mathematics." Well, some of the math is "little" but some of it is not. See for example the use of Green's functions to find the air load on a vibrating membrane, pp. 588-590. Perhaps at MIT, where incoming freshman are sorted out by the do-or-die killer course in mathematical physics from Morse & Feshbach, these methods are taught to undergrads, but not at most other schools. Almost everywhere else this would be considered first-year graduate material. These pages would not only frighten the average reader; they frighten me. I always hated Green's functions and considered it part of my mission in life to prune them away wherever they grew.
      There are a few typos, mislabeled equations and the like. The next-to-last sentence of text on p. 232 says, "This is an adquate approximation provided the sound wavelength is small compared to the transverse dimensions of the ducts and cavities involved." Surely "small" should read "large."
      In sum, not for beginners, and probably not for most musicians either. But within its compass it reigns supreme. There is no better book in this field.

      5 out of 5 stars An excellent musical acoustics book.......1998-09-02

      The new 1998 edition of Fletcher and Rossing is an excellent book for anyone working in musical acoustics or building instruments. Covers a wide range of instruments and gives extensive references to primary literature and ... it's good reading too.
      Introduction to the Creation of Electroacoustic Music
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Great Book!
      • The Basic Text with an Advanced Price
      • Everything you need for starting your own research
      • Sam is funny in class...
      • a decent introduction to electroacoustic music
      Introduction to the Creation of Electroacoustic Music
      Samuel Pellman
      Manufacturer: Schirmer
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

      GeneralGeneral | Instruments & Performers | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      GeneralGeneral | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      Instruction & StudyInstruction & Study | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      MIDI, Mixers, etc.MIDI, Mixers, etc. | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      TechniquesTechniques | Theory, Composition & Performance | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
      Acoustics & SoundAcoustics & Sound | Physics | Science | Subjects | Books
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      ASIN: 0534214509

      Book Description

      This text aims to be accessible to students relatively inexperienced with electronic musical technology, while also sufficiently detailed for technical and musical achievement. Furthermore, it stresses the notion that, despite all the attention given to technique, the principal goal is musical expression.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Great Book!.......2007-01-10

      Excellent work about EA Music... we need this kind of books with a lot of useful information...

      3 out of 5 stars The Basic Text with an Advanced Price.......2005-01-16

      With the Electroacoustic Music (EAM) field continuing to take hold in the popular sectors of consumerist American society, it is not surprising to see a growth of instructional manuals, DIY tomes, and textbooks surfacing. For most purposes, Pellman's reduced text stands out as being rather accessible, if not downright cogent, as a primer for the EAM genre in terms of explicating digital sound basics, acoustical properties basics, and elementary compositional methods.

      The section of the book speaking about MIDI is outstanding. Pellman's accurate reproduction of the MIDI 1.0 Specifications through a rudimentary lens is the best portion of this text as he guides readers through the ins and outs of operational messages, control and data functions, and practical applications. Also, the chapters on MIDI are well-appointed with diagrams and photographs aplenty, leaving little doubt in the mind of the reader about which his generally clear text speaks.

      Not all of this book is as eye-pleasing, easy-to-follow, or even up-to-date as it should be, however. While historically important to do so, Pellman spends far too much time on working with magnetic tape. There are very few institutions still working with magnetic tape, and for the casual or amateur music maker, an Otari 4-channel reel-to-reel is conspicuously absent from his or her studio, making home or casual usage of these chapters worthless. Pellman should keep the historical aspects here and make a cursory overview of how tape was manipulated, but leave well-enough alone after a small hat-tip.

      From a pedagogical standpoint, there are two rather serious issues that surface. Primarily, Pellman attempts to instruct compositional approaches to EAM through using serial (dodecaphonic) rows. This is a nasty snafu on the author's part largely because this will subconsciously say to students that "everything you do in this field has pitch." Not so at all. Also, for those people who use this text and cannot read music (or could care less about Schoenberg), these lessons (along with the quick and painful "here's a grand staff, now read music" page) will be largely lost. In terms of continuity and placement, should Pellman want to retain these lessons, they should come much later in the work - after all: the book's implicit intentions are to introduce the fundamentals and concepts, not necessarily compositional approaches. The second issue is the seeming confusion (from my students, that is) that arises during discussions of modular synthesis. Here, Pellman speaks loudly about VCOs, VCAs, VCFs, et. al., and peppers the discussion with topics and terms that should also be used in tandem with discussing modes of digital synthesis and reproduction but never mentions them again outside of the chapter dealing with analog synthesis. Frankly, the chapter on analog synthesis and modular synthesis is far too long without discussing much of their applications to digital machines and media.

      From a purely aesthetic point of view, many of the photographs and illustrations are a bit too dark or poorly contrasted (all internal images are in black and white), making it difficult, in some cases, to stare an inharmonic spectrum down the barrel without squinting. For as much as the publisher is asking people to pay for this book, they could include at least a few token color images (especially when dealing with things like waveforms viewed in an editor or pictures of spectrographs and sonographs).

      Anymore, most of the basics of digital music and EAM can be found online or in other texts. There are certainly more cost-effective solutions to satisfy the aural appetite, as well. But, for absolute beginners who want a solid grounding in MIDI, get confused by serial composition and fuzzy images, and are willing to pay nearly one hundred dollars for something worth perhaps half that amount, this book is right up their alley.

      5 out of 5 stars Everything you need for starting your own research.......2003-10-29

      This book covers everything you need to know about Music and new technologies field. From physics of sound to complex MIDI network technology and it ends with perfect chapter of Audience in Electroacoustical Music. There are also etudes (excercises) which makes you practise what you have learned.
      The only chapter I don't like was the "Composing Electroacoustic Music", which is really not enough for people who really intend to compose serious music. First he starts with the basics of music and on the next page you see 12-tone row and advanced 20th century compositional techniques. There are no Beethoven, Debussy etc. that made a lot for Schoenberg's 12-tone system. But there are other books that will teach you that.
      Even if most of the text is out of date, it's one of Introductional books to this field of music.
      I believe it is a School Book in the university in US where mr. Pellman teaches.
      At the end... even my 50 years old father understood the text in the book. It's very well written and understandable for the most uneducated newcomers.

      5 out of 5 stars Sam is funny in class..........2000-11-01

      It's good that Sam has written down so many of his ideas, becuase he could never remember them if he didn't. I found this book was good. for reading.

      4 out of 5 stars a decent introduction to electroacoustic music.......1998-10-30

      this book has some very good aspects and some not-so-good ones; mainly, the chapters on computer music and MIDI production are swiftly going out of date, and there is no way to keep it updated without yearly appendices to the text itself. the book covers analog tape recording and splicing in good detail, especially for someone trying to do it on his/her own with no official teaching of it. pellman's listening guides are excellent as well.

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