Music 371 | ENAS 344

MUSI 371 | ENAS 344 Musical Acoustics and Instrument Design

An exploration of the acoustic principles of musical instruments using a highly interactive hands-on approach. The focus is weighted equally between theoretical development, interactive discussions with expert practitioners, and instrument building. The culmination of the class will be team projects that produce novel musical instruments or relevant applications. The purpose of the class is to provide the student with an understanding of the physics of musical instruments and how they are designed.   Emphasis will be on string, wind, percussion, and electronic instruments, and topics will include all aspects of sound from the origin of the vibration in the instrument to the perception by the listener. A sampling of specific topics includes standing waves, harmonics, musical scales, forced oscillations, radiation, interference, electronic interfaces, and spectral analysis. (See syllabus for a more complete list).The students will be trained in , and make use of, the appropriate tools in the Center for Engineering Innovation and Design for hands-on instrument study, design, and building.

For more information, visit the course website: http://enas344musi371s2016.coursepress.yale.edu