Microsound

Burde nok egentlig holdt på med noe annet, men bruker for tiden lesetid på Curtis Roads sin bok Microsound – 2001-utgaven er tilgjengelig via Internet Archive.

MIT-Press sin sammenfatning:

Below the level of the musical note lies the realm of microsound, of sound particles lasting less than one-tenth of a second. Recent technological advances allow us to probe and manipulate these pinpoints of sound, dissolving the traditional building blocks of music—notes and their intervals—into a more fluid and supple medium. The sensations of point, pulse (series of points), line (tone), and surface (texture) emerge as particle density increases. Sounds coalesce, evaporate, and mutate into other sounds. 

Composers have used theories of microsound in computer music since the 1950s. Distinguished practitioners include Karlheinz Stockhausen and Iannis Xenakis. Today, with the increased interest in computer and electronic music, many young composers and software synthesis developers are exploring its advantages. 

Covering all aspects of composition with sound particles, Microsound offers composition theory, historical accounts, technical overviews, acoustical experiments, descriptions of musical works, and aesthetic reflections. The book is accompanied by an audio CD of examples.

En del av det tekniske er litt tungt, men dette er likevel spennende lesing. Jeg faller av litt innimellom, men henger med på de store linjene. De konkrete eksemplene på sammenhengene mellom (dvs mangelen på forskjeller) mellom musikk og akustikk holder godt tak i meg. Og med masse små finurligheter innimellom, som 1/(365*24*60*60) = 0,000000031 Hz, dvs ett år.

Alt det som ligger over mikro-nivået, dvs det denne boken ikke handler så mye om: