Good Vibrations: The Physics of Music , Barry Parker
Johns Hopkins U. Press, Baltimore, MD, 2009. $27.95 (274 pp.). ISBN 978-0-8018-9264-6
The quest to forge a connection between the physical sciences and music can be traced at least as far back as Johannes Kepler and the classical concept of the music of the spheres. Given my two decades of building guitars and teaching the physics of musical instruments, the mathematical development of musical scales, and guitar construction, I welcome books that aim to meld those fields.
Into this genre comes Good Vibrations: The Physics of Music, a book that seeks to “be of interest to musicians who are interested in learning more about the science behind music and to students and fans of physics, most of whom are also music lovers.” Written by Barry Parker, professor emeritus of physics at Idaho State University, Good Vibrations covers an impressive variety of topics, including the physics of sound-wave generation and propagation, the overtone series, and the mathematical development of musical-scale theory, from the contributions of Pythagoras to equal temperament. In discussing the physics of various acoustic instruments, the book explains the harmonic differences between open and closed pipes and what makes a piano different from a harpsichord. Parker also delves into electronic instruments, room acoustics, sound recording, and even MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) software. I particularly liked the sections on acoustics, brass and woodwind instruments, and the physics of the human ear and the singing voice.
Overall, I applaud Parker’s accessible writing style, but the real challenge in writing a book about the physics of music is to include an appropriate mix of the scientific and mathematic principles needed to understand the physics of acoustical phenomena and their application to music. In that light, Good Vibrations is too anecdotal in places and not focused enough on science. For example, we learn about guitar heroes such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton, but nothing of Les Paul, whose seminal contributions to the development of the electric guitar and multitrack sound recording are more relevant to physics. Elsewhere in the book, a useful demonstration of the mathematical foundation of the basic diatonic and chromatic scales precedes a large section devoted to such topics as modes, chord sequences, and rhythm—but the section fails to connect those musical theories to physics. And the discussion of MIDI—and even iPods—reads more as product instruction than an explanation of their operative scientific principles. Several important instrument categories are omitted: There is no discussion of xylophones and marimbas; membrane-based drums; the first true musical synthesizer, the acoustic pipe organ; or the first electronic instrument, the theremin. In their absence, much potentially useful scientific discussion is lost.
Moreover, Good Vibrations contains editing errors and factual inaccuracies that may confuse readers outside the field’s cognoscente. For example, in one sequence, the book erroneously uses the same diagram to describe both the first and second overtone patterns in a pipe; on the next page, the same topic is again covered in a slightly different diagram sequence that correctly shows the two different patterns. The frequency of the note “middle C” is expressed in different places in the book as 256 Hz, 261.6 Hz, or 262 Hz without any explanation as to why these values differ (256 Hz is “scientific” C, while 261.6 Hz is “musical” C in modern 12-tone equal temperament). The author also states that “the banjo and the mandolin have a bridge, but the ukulele does not.” However, ukuleles do have bridges. Also, an open window has an acoustic absorption coefficient of 1, not 0, as stated. And the assertion that hearing loss above 5000 Hz “doesn’t seriously affect your ability to appreciate music” would likely be challenged by musicians and audiologists who appreciate the subtle differences in sound timbre contributed by higher harmonics.
Other recent publications have more effectively bridged physics and music. The third edition of Ian Johnston’s Measured Tones: The Interplay of Physics and Music (CRC Press, 2009) employs an informal conversational and storytelling style and blends the science, mathematics, and historic personalities. Its comprehensive coverage includes all major instrument types—acoustic and electric—as well as the basics of singing and the human ear. Covering similar ground is P. U. P. A. Gilbert and Willy Haeberli’s Physics in the Arts (Academic Press, 2008; see the review in Physics Today, March 2009, page 51), a more formal, textbook-type volume with example problems and work sets that is still accessible to the general reader.
Although it misses the mark in places, Good Vibrations provides many interesting facts and connections between physics and music for the general reader. It falls short, though, of being a convincing tome for anyone who comes to the game with a detailed knowledge of either physics or music.
