The science of music performance is fascinating, for those who take the time and effort to obtain useful data. Fortunately, a large collection of scientific graphs and data on the science of music performance is now available in a series of books by M. Schottenbauer, Ph.D., How Do You Play That Thingamabob? The Science of Music Performance. Graphs in the series focus on the forces and motions required to produce sound. As such, they complement another series of books on the science of music by the same author, Where Does Sound Come From? This latter series focuses on the science of music, that is, the physics of the sounds which are arising from the musical instruments.
The graphs below demonstrate a selection of data from each volume of How Do You Play That Thingamabob? The Science of Music Performance.
Discussion Questions
- In Graph 1, what is the range of motion? Does one hand move further than the other, in any direction?
- In Graph 2, what is the differential of force required to depress the different keys? On a practical level, what does this difference require of the instrumentalist?
- In Graph 3, what is the difference in the air flow rate during the crescendo and diminuendo? Describe the difference in terms of (a) the average difference, (b) the maximum difference, (c) the minimum difference, and (d) the difference in variation.
