You might not think music is really a science. After all, it’s a bunch of sounds that have been calibrated into a collection of…
It’s more like 120 notes when you think about the upper and lower limits of hearing. Yet, only thirty-six are used to produce most of the music we hear unless you happen to be…
But when it comes to how many different types of music we can make with just those few dozen notes, the answer is well, awesome.
Over two thousand five hundred!
If you don’t believe me, head on over to the website, Every Noise At Once to go through the list. You can even hear examples of each genre. Just be sure to give yourself lots and lots and lots of time…and do it AFTER you listen to this week’s SASScast, to which you can listen while you read: https://omny.fm/shows/super-awesome-science-show/evolving-rhythms
On this show, we focus on how these genres came to be. It turns out that there are two major reasons. One is societal evolution – or maybe revolution – and technology.
When it comes to the development of new music, there is no better expert than…
He’s been the host of The Ongoing History of New Music for over twenty-five years and his anthology of how music and society have changed is a wonder to be had…and heard.
We first talk about technology and how the evolution over the last hundred years has allowed musicians to create new and sometimes unheard types of compositions. From the electric guitar to the synthesizer to the ability of having hundreds of tracks on a single song, Alan gives us a glimpse into how those 2,500 genres have come to exist…including…
We then get into society and let me tell you, it was a great discussion. We’ve heard for some time that music has been the reason for changes in human culture. But is that true? Alan has been not just observing but has been involved in understanding the culture of different music genres. His insight is simply awesome. We get into some of the major players in music’s effect on society and learn about how one advancement in music lead to a unbelievable backlash from the community…
In our SASS Class, we head into the realm of using music to improve your workout. Music is almost a given in any exercise routine these days but research has been trying to decide which may be the perfect playlist to maximize your effort. Which is why we reach out to Associate Professor Of Exercise Science And Sport Studies and the Director For Sport And Exercise Psychology at Springfield College in Massachusetts,
She has been looking at the effect of music on our ability to perform and her results have given us significant insight into what works best and what might not be so useful. You’ll learn quite a bit but I’ll give away one thing here…if you remember these…
Then you were probably doing it right.
If you have a question, comment or idea for the show, let me know in the comments below or by sending me an Email at: thegermguy@gmail.com. We’re filling our slate for the year and we have already taken several suggestions and put them on the grid. If you have a burning question for science, let me know and maybe it’ll end up being a theme for a future show.
Have a great week, enjoy some of that Valentine’s Day spirit, and as always, keep playin’ that SASS!