Day One: Musical Sound

Sound, Fundamentals, and Overtones

You can develop a deeper connection with sound by understanding the overtone series as the basis of musical organization.

Laws of Sound

Our discussion of harmony begins with the physical qualities of sound and the musical consequences of those qualities. The laws of physics and acoustics will definitely interest a musician studying theory and harmony. Closely investigating the phenomena is how we will come to learn about the possibilities of sound, and ultimately find the roots of music in the laws of nature. This approach doesn't reduce music down to the level of science, but rather elevates it to the highest level of artistic potential by making the effect that it has on us comprehendible. The goal for studying harmony is to gain mastery over the raw materials of music so that we may eventually use it to build and exteriorize that which moves inside us. 

Figure 1.

What are the building blocks of music? Tones are the material that music is made of. Pieces of music are fabrics of tones ar…