Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) [Paperback]

Arthur H. Benade (Author)

Book Description

Series: Dover Books on Music | Publication Date: November 1, 1990

Landmark book by leading expert, hailed for its astonishingly clear, delightfully readable explication of everything acoustical important to music-making. "Comprehensive . . . rigorous . . . well-organized . . . will surely be the text of choice." — American Scientist. "Recommended for music lovers and audiophiles" — Stereo Review. Over 300 illustrations. Examples, experiments, and questions conclude each chapter.

Product Details

• Paperback: 608 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (November 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 048626484X
• ISBN-13: 978-0486264844
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #187,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #89 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Acoustics & Sound

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Benade is One of the Greats in This field, December 31, 2000

By 

Anthony G. Holland (Saratoga Springs, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

I studied with Dr. Benade, taking his course in musical acoustics, at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, some years ago. Dr. Benade was a brilliant and dedicated scientist in the area of musical acoustics, but he was highly opinionated and sometimes inflexible. He refused to accept, for example, that flutes could produce "whisper tones", a standard 20th Century player's/composer's technique which I have used many times in my compositions (and can perform myself on the flute).

Nonetheless, this book is a very important book to read and own if you are interested in the fundamentals of the acoustics of musical instruments (not performing spaces as other reviewers have pointed out). This book was the text which Benade used to teach his courses. Add this to your collection of musical acoustics books...and be sure to include "Horns Strings and Harmony", Benade's earlier book, as well as the book by John Pierce and of course the book by Helmholtz.

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Book, Designed to Make You Think, August 3, 2004

By 

Benjamin Stern (Rockville, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

While Benade's first book, "Horns Strings and Harmony", has some errors which he himself later acknowledged, "Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics" is one of the seminal books in the field. That doesn't mean that it is perfect in every respect, but it introduces a broad range of concepts in musical acoustics without the use of advanced mathematics, in a writing style that will appeal to the musician in addition to the scientist. The fine details of his theories regarding psychoacoustics, particularly pitch perception, have been challenged. But his general concepts are well accepted, and he presents them in a way that makes the reader think. His descriptions of experimental techniques (which generally aren't very complicated) have inspired me and others to repeat his experiments. Sometimes, results don't agree - that's when you have to think. Psychoacoustics relies on neurology and psychology, two sciences that, despite much brilliant work over the last 100 years, are still in their infancy. So, you can't judge his theories on psychoacoustics in the same light as his description of wave propagation, room modes, and perturbation functions in clarinets.

As a musician and an engineer, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in how music and physics intersect. This is not the book to answer all your questions - it is the book to get you started on asking the right questions.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introductory book without too much mathematics, December 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics: Second, Revised Edition (Dover Books on Music) (Paperback)

In my opinion, a wonderful work that introduces the principles of waves and vibrations, musical perception and instrument physics without too much mathematics. Specific chapters on violin, piano, clavicord and harpsichord, winds (brass and wood). Several references to guitar. The book is a little old, which shows in the references, but is an excellent text for self study. Most chapters have at the end a list of interesting experiments that one can perform. Overall a must first book if you are interested in the field.