Photo: Pixabay

How is math connected to music?

Counting, rhythm, scales, intervals, patterns, symbols, harmonies, time signatures, overtones, tone, pitch. The notations of composers and sounds made by musicians are connected to mathematics.

ams.org - Mathematics & Music - AMS

What are the 6 types of keys in keyboard?

In addition to letters, numerals, punctuation marks, and symbols, the typing keys also include Shift, Caps Lock, Tab, Enter, the Spacebar, and...

Last updated Feb 3, 2019

How do pianists Memorise?

Pianists typically start memorising a piece by learning the musical periods and then breaking down the major parts to the number of bars that they...

Last updated Jul 30, 2019

Join almost HALF A MILLION Happy Students Worldwide

Promotion

Mathematics & Music

"There is geometry in the humming of the strings, there is music in the spacing of the spheres." — Pythagoras Counting, rhythm, scales, intervals, patterns, symbols, harmonies, time signatures, overtones, tone, pitch. The notations of composers and sounds made by musicians are connected to mathematics. The next time you hear or play classical, rock, folk, religious, ceremonial, jazz, opera, pop, or contemporary types of music, think of what mathematics and music have in common and how mathematics is used to create the music you enjoy. Explore the connections between mathematics and music in the videos, podcasts, and articles below. Videos Majesty of Music and Math. "Explore the interconnectedness of music and mathematics. The Majesty of Music and Math features remarks by Santa Fe Institute mathematician and computer scientist Cris Moore and musical selections by The Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra with Principal Conductor Guillermo Figueroa." Music + Math: Symmetry. "From Pythagoras' observations of the fundamental mathematical relationship between vibrating strings and harmony to the digitized musical world we enjoy today, The Majesty of Music and Mathematics with the Santa Fe Symphony and the Santa Fe Institute will explore the remarkable interweaving of the languages of music and mathematics." View the entire Santa Fe Institute series, covering the tritone, harmonics, ratios and more. Geometry in Music; Dmitri Tymoczko. "What could be a better medium to communicate math to the public than the universal language of music? Ever since Pythagoras used numerical terms to express intervals between notes and derived musical tones from geometrical patterns, mathematicians have linked music to numbers." At the SIAM Annual Meeting in 2010, Tymoczko used graphics and sound to connect math to the music of Chopin, Mozart, and Schubert. Video by Adam Bauser, Bauser Media Group. Combining Math and Music. Eugenia Cheng, a mathematician who also is a concert pianist, describes how a mathematical breakthrough enabled Johann Sebastian Bach to write "The Well-Tempered Clavier" (1722). At the time that the video was recorded, Cheng was a visiting senior lecturer in mathematics at the University of Chicago. Cheng also has an 11-part video series, Math in Music, hosted by WFMT, 2020, with topics such as "Feeling the Commutativity of Multiplication," "Math to Build New Ideas," "Symmetry in Music," "Fractions Give Us Feelings!," "Math Can Also Sound Bad," and "Harmonics As Special Effects." David Kung on "Symphonic Equations: Waves and Tubes." David Kung (St Mary's College of Maryland) presents "Symphonic Equations: Waves and Tubes" -- a miniexcursion into math and music, presented as a MAA Distinguished Lecture at the Carnegie Institution for Science. The Science Behind the Arts: The Maths Behind Music. University of Surrey, England.

More Videos

Is jazz hard to learn?

Jazz is first and foremost an aurally learned music. Learning music by ear is not always the easy way, and if you aren't used to it, you may find...

Last updated Jan 30, 2018

Who had more hits than Elvis?

The Beatles have the edge in this category. They put 62 titles in the “Hot 100” between 1964-1970, while Elvis charted 57 sides between 1956-1962.

Last updated May 7, 2021

Promotion

Turning math into music. Sean Hardesty (Rice University) plays the opening of the Sibelius Violin Concerto and discusses the relationship between mathematics and music. The world's ugliest music: Scott Rickard at TEDxMIA. Scott Rickard has degrees in mathematics, computer science, and electrical engineering from M.I.T. and MA and PhD degrees in applied and computational mathematics from Princeton University. Rickard says that he is "passionate about mathematics, music and educating the next generation of scientists and mathematicians." Robert Schneider - Reverie in Prime Time Signatures (August 2013, Banff Centre). Robert Schneider (Apples in Stereo/Elephant 6) composed this theme for "MSI (Math Sciences Investigation): Anatomy of Integers and Permutations," a play by mathematician Andrew Granville and screenwriter Jennifer Granville. "As the title indicates, the piece is written in prime-numbered time signatures; which is to say, there is a prime number of beats in each measure. The main theme plays in the time signature 7/4, which indicates 7 beats per measure, with an interlude that passes through the signatures 2/4, 3/4 and 5/4 as well. From the constraints imposed by these rhythmic patterns, melodies emerged naturally as I composed, special to each prime..." Music and math: The genius of Beethoven – Natalya St. Clair TED Ed. Natalya St. Clair uses the Moonlight Sonata "to illustrate the way Beethoven was able to convey emotion and creativity using the certainty of mathematics." The Math Behind Music. Ethan Thompson and David Hamilton explain the math behind music in a fun, concise way in this finalist entry in the 2015 Math-O-Vision contest.

Listen Up (Podcasts)

(Austin Community College) discusses Chordinates, a web tool he created that generates melodies from the graphs of math equations. Making Beautiful Mathematics. In this podcast interview, Rob Schneiderman (Lehman College, CUNY) discusses the metaphorical connections between math and music. (Lehman College, CUNY) discusses the metaphorical connections between math and music. Marcus du Sautoy: music and symmetry. Marcus du Sautoy (Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and a professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford) talks to a concert audience about the connections between music and mathematics. (Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and a professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford) talks to a concert audience about the connections between music and mathematics. Putting Music on the Map. Listen to Dmitri Tymoczko (Princeton University) speak about using topology to represent musical chords as points in a space.

What chords can you play a blues scale over?

Playing 12-Bar Blues The blues scale sounds great paired with a variety of chords, but it's especially at home being played over 12-bar blues. The...

Last updated Apr 2, 2019

What key is levitation?

B Minor Levitating is written in the key of B Minor. According to the Theorytab database, it is the 6th most popular key among Minor keys and the...

Last updated Feb 1, 2020

Promotion

A Medley of More Mathematics and Music

If you would like to recommend more websites on mathematics and music, please email AMS Outreach. Journal of Mathematics and Music: Mathematical and Computational Approaches to Music Theory, Analysis, Composition and Performance

Mathematics and Music, by David Wright

Many more books that can be found via a search on the web or your preferred online bookstore! Also see: Society for Mathematics and Computation in Music. The Society was founded in 2006 as an International Forum for researchers and musicians working in the trans-disciplinary field at the intersection of music, mathematics and computation. The website includes information about joining and attending meetings, and online newsletters.

ams.org - Mathematics & Music - AMS

What are the piano notes?

What are the standard piano notes? Each key on a piano uses seven basic notes (C, D, E, F, G, A, B). These notes repeat themselves all over the...

Last updated Nov 22, 2020

Can you tune a 30 year old piano?

Yes, any piano can be tuned after years of no use, as long as it is working condition. Keep in mind, however, that a severely out-of-tune piano...

Last updated Apr 25, 2022

Promotion

How much is Hitler's Mercedes worth?

The powerful Mercedes-Benz, which has been fully restored, could fetch up to $7 million. Dec 23, 2017

Last updated Apr 14, 2022

Promotion

How much does it cost to make a key from a lock?

Key Duplication A regular house key usually costs $1 to $10 to copy, but if you have a transponder key that's coded to your car's security system,...

Last updated Oct 10, 2019