Important information for the course
Basic information form about you
INSTRUCTORS:
Fredrick I. Olness (office 201 Fondren Science, phone 768-2500)
George Baker (SMU Meadows) gbaker@smu.edu
MEETINGS:
LECTURE: Tuesday & Thursday, 2:00 - 3:20, Fondren Science Rm. 158
LAB: Monday (1-3pm), (3-5pm) or (5-7pm), Fondren Science Rm. 60
Labs begin Monday September 8, 2025
BEWARE: On occasion, lecture and lab may be held in different rooms.
TBD 2025
Meadows School of the Arts: Location TBD 2:00-3:20 pm
Professor Thomas Keck
Director of the Division of Music:
Special lecture presentation
TBD 2025
Perkins Chapel, 6:00-7:30pm
Professor George Baker
Perkins Chapel:
Organ Demonstration/Performance:
(Counts for 2 quizzes)
Make-up assignment if you missed Organ Demonstration (Due Nov. 21)
REVIEW: Monday 15 December 2025 TBD on Zoom
(FINAL EXAM: Wednesday 17 December 2025, 11:30am-2:30pm, Room 158)
(You may bring a sandwich or snack if you like)
TEXT:
John Backus (Author)
"The Acoustical Foundations of Music" Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company; 2 edition (December 1977)
REFERENCES:
Selected books will be placed on reserve.
GRADES: Components are:
|
Phys 1320 |
Phys 3320 |
MPSY 5340 |
|
exams (50% each) daily quizzes (20%) Laboratory (30%) |
exams (40% each) daily quizzes (20%) Homework (40%) |
exams (50% each) daily quizzes (20%) paper & presentation (20%) Laboratory (10%) |
GROUP PROJECT: Students can work in groups of 2 or 3 on a project of their choice. Suggestions for projects
COURSE CONTENT: We will cover both the acoustics (physical sound properties) and the psychoacoustics (psychological, perceptual properties) of music. Topics will include sound in general, sound of musical instruments (including voice), sound characteristics of rooms, electronic production (synthesis) and reproduction of sound.
DEMONSTRATIONS: Demonstrations will be done in class sessions throughout the semester. You are encouraged to make suggestions about interesting ways to demonstrate the phenomena we are studying. Each class discussion will FOLLOW the reading of appropriate material, meaning that you will be expected to have completed the reading PRIOR to the class session for which it is listed. The same for tape listening assignments.
Study Problems
Physics 1320 Music & Physics Prof. Tunks & Olness
Chapt. 1: Questions: 1,2,4,5, Problems: 1,2,9,11
Chapt. 2: Questions: 1,5,7,8,9 Problems: 4,5
Chapt. 3: Questions: 6,8,9 Problems: 1,3,4,5,8,11,13,17,
Chapt. 4: Questions: 2,3, Problems: 1,2,4,5,6,14
Chapt. 5: Questions: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, Problems: 1,4,8,9,10,11,12,14,16
Chapt. 6: Questions: 1,2, Problems: 1,2,3,4,5,8,9,10
Chapt. 7: Questions: 1,2, Problems: 1,2,3
Chapt. 8: Questions: 1,2,3,4,5,6 Problems: 1,4,7,9
Chapt. 9: Questions: 1,2,3 Problems: 1,2,3,4