Confidential until after 2 March 2005

l TA225 The Technology of Music

TMA01 2005 TUTORIAL NOTES
B=block/chapter, S=section, P=page, AFE = Audition Familiarisation Exercises
Notes
• These tutorial notes, prepared by the Course Team, are intended to help you to get the most out
of the TMA, whether you have done well in your answers, or not so well. Your tutor will be
supplied with similar tutorial notes for all the subsequent TMAs.
• Generally in these tutorial notes, text in roman type forms sample solutions to the TMA
questions (or gives a list of the main points for essay-type answers). This is interspersed with
italic text which gives comments and tips about the questions.
• The sample solutions should be used to check not only what sort of answer was expected, but
also the general length and detail of the answers.
• Where questions are based on particular parts of the course material, a reference to this is given
after the answer.

Question 1 (30 marks)

Note that explanation/working is required in all parts, therefore full marks should not have been
awarded for just giving the (correct) answer.
(a) Time = distance/speed. In this case the distance is 85 m and the speed is 340 m/s, thus the time
is 85/340 = 0.25 s.
B1/1, S4
(b) Reflected sound travels an additional distance of 2 × 170 m = 340 m compared to direct sound.
Since time = distance/speed, the time to travel this additional distance is therefore 1 second, and
this is the time difference.
B1/1, S4
(c) (i) Wavelength = speed/frequency. In this case, the speed is 340 m/s and the frequency is
50 Hz. Thus the wavelength is 340/50 = 6.8 m.
(ii) If the lowest note has a wavelength of 6.8 m, then the wavelength of the highest note will
be 6.8/32 = 0.2125 m. Since frequency = speed/wavelength, the frequency corresponding
to this wavelength is 340/0.2125 = 1600 Hz (1.6 kHz).
Alternatively, since frequency is inversely proportional to wavelength, if the wavelength is
reduced by 32 times, then the frequency will be increased by a factor of 32. Thus if the
lowest note has a frequency of 50 Hz, the frequency of the highest note will be
32 × 50 = 1600 Hz.
B1/1, S4
(d) (i) For the two corresponding pitches to belong to the same pitch class, they must be a whole
number of octaves apart. Since an octave is a doubling of frequency, one octave above f1 is
2f1, two octaves above f1 is 4f1, three octaves above f1 is 8f1, four octaves above f1 is 16f1,
and five octaves above f1 is 32f1, or the frequency of f2. The last step shows that the two
notes are a whole number of octaves apart, and therefore belong to the same pitch class.
(ii) The two pitches are 5 octaves apart as shown in the last step of (i) above.
B1/1, S8
(e) (i) Decibels have the property that increasing or decreasing them by a fixed amount is
equivalent to multiplying the ratio they represent by a fixed factor. Table 1 of Chapter 1
(page 41) shows that each halving of a sound pressure wave amplitude is equivalent to a
reduction in sound pressure level of 6 dB. Thus each doubling of distance results in a 6
dB reduction in sound pressure level (SPL).
(ii) Listener C is twice as far from the band as Listener A is. Consequently the sound pressure
wave amplitude at C will be half of that for Listener A. Hence the SPL for Listener C will
be 6 dB below the SPL for Listener A. Therefore the sound pressure level for Listener A
will be 20 dB + 6 dB = 26 dB.
Similarly, Listener B is half as far from the band as Listener A (42.5 = 85/2), so the sound
pressure level for Listener B will be 6 dB higher than for Listener A. Thus the SPL for
Listener B will be 26 dB + 6 dB = 32 dB.
Alternatively, Listener B is four times closer to the band than Listener C (42.5 = 170/4),
and since a four-fold increase in sound pressure wave amplitude is equivalent to an
increase in SPL of 12 dB, the SPL for Listener B is 20 + 12 = 32 dB.

TA225 TMA01 2005 Tutorial notes 1 Copyright © 2005 The Open University
 (iii) The SPL for Listener C is given as 20 dB, which is an amplitude ratio of 10:1. Thus if
0 dB SPL represents a sound pressure of 20 micropascals, then 20 dB is a sound level of
20 × 10 = 200 micropascals.
(iv) Table 1 of Chapter 1 (page 41) equates a sound pressure level of 20 dB with the
background noise of an empty concert hall, so the music will be very quiet.
B1/1, S8
Remember at this point that SPL values are referenced to the quietest sound (0 dB SPL is defined as
the threshold of human hearing) so SPL values for audible sound pressure waves will have positive
dB values. However, you will find later that in Audition, the course’s sound editing program, and
frequently when an audio signal is represented by an electrical waveform, 0 dB is defined as the
highest sound level the system can cope with. Thus in such situations sound levels will normally have
negative values since they must be less than the maximum level.
(f) (i) The wavelength corresponding to a frequency of 68 Hz is 340/68 = 5 m. Thus the number
of wavelengths between the bandstand and Listener A is 85/5 = 17. The number of
wavelengths between the bandstand and Listener C is 170/5 = 34. Both of these numbers
of wavelengths are whole numbers, so there will be no phase difference between them at
68 Hz.
(ii) The number of wavelengths between Listener B and the bandstand is 42.5/5 = 8.5 m. This
is not a whole number of wavelengths, so at 68 Hz there must be a phase difference
between the sound for Listener A and that for Listener B.
(iii) As Listener B’s separation from the bandstand is 8.5 wavelengths, the odd half-
wavelength represents the portion of a cycle by which the phase for Listener B differs
from that for Listener A. A phase difference of one half a cycle is the equivalent to a 180
degrees (or π radians) phase difference.
B1/1, S5

Question 2
(a) (i) A suitable sketch is given below. The repeating cycle accounts for the wave being
described as periodic.

voltage 1 cycle time

= 1 period

time

For full marks, the diagram needs to show a sinusoidal wave with the graph axes
labelled and a single cycle marked.
B1/1, S2
(ii) A wave with a regularly recurring cycle, and a non-sinusoidal shape is a non-sinusoidal
periodic wave. An example is shown below.
voltage 1 cycle time
= 1 period

time

Again, for full marks, the diagram needs to show a non-sinusoidal periodic wave with
the graph axes labelled and a single cycle marked.
B1/2, S2

TA225 TMA01 2005 Tutorial notes 2

 (iii) A wave where the shape takes a long time to change relative to the period of the wave may
be considered to be periodic in the short term. Examples are instruments that produce a
periodic pressure wave which gradually changes shape over the course of the note. Also a
decaying periodic wave, if it decays very gradually, can be considered periodic in the short
term.
B1/2, S5.2
(b) (i) A sinusoidal periodic wave, when analysed, consists of only one harmonic – the sine wave
itself. A non-sinusoidal periodic wave, when analysed, consists of two or more harmonics.
B1/2, S3
(ii) A non-sinusoidal periodic wave can be analysed into a series of harmonically related sine
waves. The frequencies of these sine waves, in the case of a periodic wave with a repetition
rate of 500 Hz will be:
500 Hz, 1000 Hz, 1500 Hz, 2000 Hz, 2500 Hz, etc.
When these harmonics are passed through a filter that blocks all frequencies below 750
Hz, the harmonic with frequency 500 Hz (the fundamental) will be removed. All the higher
harmonics will emerge from the filter. This is why there is an output from the filter.
Whether the output is a periodic wave or not depends on whether the output consists of
harmonically related sine waves. In this case it does, because harmonically related sine
waves are fed into the filter, and the filtering action only removes harmonics; it does not
change the frequency relationships of the harmonics.
As long as the original wave has harmonics based on a harmonic series that has a
fundamental of 500 Hz (i.e. the waveform does not just contain the fundamental and only
even harmonics), the emerging wave will have the repetition rate of the fundamental,
irrespective of whether the fundamental is present or not. In this case the fundamental has
a frequency of 500 Hz, so the emerging wave can have this repetition rate as well.
B1/2, S7
(iii) Suitable graphs are given below.
amplitude

harmonics
2, 3 and 4 time

amplitude
1 cycle

fundamental
time

The graphs show that the period of the non-sinusiodal waveform is the same as that in the
sinusoidal waveform of the fundamental frequency. The waves thus demonstrate the point
made in (b)(ii) that a non-sinusoidal periodic wave with the fundamental removed can have
the same period as the fundamental, and can therefore have the same repetition rate.
B1/2, S7
(c) (i) The repetition rate will be 50 Hz. The lowest frequency is 100 Hz, but, although 200 Hz
and 400 Hz are both frequencies in the harmonic series based on 100 Hz, 150 Hz is not.
The nearest lower frequency that has all these frequencies in its harmonic series is 50 Hz.

TA225 TMA01 2005 Tutorial notes 3

 (ii) A suitable frequency spectrum is given below.
amplitude
instrument’s frequency components

frequency (Hz)
100 150 200 250 300 350 400 450

B1/2, S7
(iii) The main reasons why trying to recreate a sound simply by adding together its component
frequencies in the correct proportions does not produce a satisfactory result are (two were
required):
• the amplitudes of the component frequencies vary during the course of a note;
• the amplitudes of the component frequencies vary as the note gets louder or softer;
• the relative amplitudes of the harmonics vary as the pitch of the note changes.
(Other valid reasons should have been accepted.)
B1/2, S5

Question 3
(a) (i) The metronome mark indicates the tempo or speed of the music by indicating the number
of beats (or the number of ‘note value’ times) that are to occur each minute.
(ii) There are four beats per bar. The beat is represented by a dotted quarter note (or dotted

crotchet) which is:

(iii) The metronome mark indicates that there should be 80 beats per minute. Thus each beat
lasts 60/80 seconds, which is 0.75 seconds.
(iv) Between A and B there is one quaver. Since a quaver is one-third of the duration of a
dotted crotchet and the beat is represented by a dotted crotchet, the time interval is
0.75/3 = 0.25 seconds.
(v) Between C and D is one beat plus two-thirds of a beat. Thus the time interval is
0.75 + (2 × 0.75/3) = 1.25 seconds.
Alternatively, there is the equivalent of five quavers between C and D, and since a quaver
lasts 0.25 s, five quavers will take 5 × 0.25 = 1.25 s.
B1/3, S2
(b) The block text uses G as the fundamental pitch in most of the discussion about pitches and the
harmonic series. In this question you are required to apply this information to a different pitch
class.
(i) 1 Major third. (Just ‘third’ should have been accepted, but note that strictly this is a
major third – as opposed to a minor third which has a spacing of three semitone steps.)
2 Perfect fifth (or just fifth).
B1/2, S10
(ii) A harmonic series based on A4 only supplies the lowest pitch (A4) as the second harmonic
is the pitch A5 which is above all of the other three notes.
B1/2, S9
(iii) The nearest note that contains the dominant seventh notes in its harmonic series is A2. The
next nearest harmonic series that may contain these notes will be based on the pitch A3.
However, this only contains the pitches A4 (the second harmonic) and E5 (the third
harmonic). The next harmonic in this series is the fourth harmonic which is A5. Beyond
this, the next harmonic series that may contain the correct notes is that based on A2. This
has A4 as its fourth harmonic, C#5 as its fifth harmonic, E5 as its sixth harmonic and G5 as
its seventh harmonic.
B1/2, S9

TA225 TMA01 2005 Tutorial notes 4

 (iv) For full marks in this part of the question, a detailed consideration of each of the notes
must have been given as given below.
First, considering the note A4, since the fourth harmonic of the harmonic series based on
A2 is exactly 2 octaves above A2, both the piano A4 and the harmonic series A4 will be
exactly in tune.
For the note C#5, there will be a difference owing to the use of equal temperament on a
modern piano. On the piano, the note C#5 (a major third above A4) would be slightly
sharper than that produced by the harmonic series based on A2. The frequency ratio of a
harmonic series major third is 1.25:1. Thus if A4 is 440 Hz, the harmonic series frequency
of C#5 would be 1.25 × 440 = 550 Hz. However, the frequency of C#5 in equal
temperament is 554.36 Hz (2 × 277.18, the frequency of C#4 given in Table 2 of Block 1
Chapter 2). (Alternatively, the frequency ratio of a major third in equal temperament is
about 1.26.)
Similarly, for the note E5, there will also be a difference owing to the use of equal
temperament on a modern piano. On the piano, the note E5 (a fifth above A4) would be
slightly flatter than that produced by the harmonic series based on A2. The frequency ratio
of a harmonic series fifth is 1.5:1. Thus if A4 is 440 Hz, the harmonic series frequency of
E5 would be 1.5 × 440 = 660 Hz. However, the frequency of E5 in equal temperament is
659.26 Hz (2 × 329.63, the frequency of E4 given in Table 2 of Block 1 Chapter 2).
(Alternatively, the frequency ratio of a major third in equal temperament is about
2.9966:2.)
However, in any harmonic series, the seventh harmonic is markedly out of tune with its
associated pitch class. Thus the pitch G5 when derived as the seventh harmonic of the
harmonic series based on A2 is markedly out of tune. The frequency of the seventh
harmonic on A2 is 7 × 110 = 770 Hz whereas the frequency of G5 in equal temperament is
784.00 Hz (2 × 392.00, the frequency of G4 given in Table 2 of Block 1 Chapter 2).
B1/2, S11, S12
(c) First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between performers whose instruments compel them to
use particular pitches (e.g. keyboard players, guitarists) and those who can vary pitch at will
(e.g. singers or violin players). Even in the case of keyboard players, historically there was
departure from strict mathematical accuracy through the use of various unequal temperaments, in
which the same note might be more or less in tune depending on the key in which the music was
being played. These departures from mathematical accuracy are thought to have contributed to
the phenomenon of key colour.
The work of Carl Seashore in the 1930s, using scientific measuring equipment showed that the
frequencies of pitches used by singers and instrumentalists often diverged markedly from a
strict interpretation of notated pitch. These findings certainly reflect performance practice of the
time, but are not contradicted by later research. It appears that our perception of pitch is (under
certain circumstances) categorical, and that the listener may assimilate a note to the nearest
‘standard’ pitch without hearing the discrepancy as a deviation of pitch. Instead, the listener is
likely to perceive it as expressive inflection.
Similarly, placement of notes routinely departs from the simple subdivisions of the beat
indicated by notation, and these departures are interpreted expressively.
B1/2, S12 (particularly Activity 39); B1/3, S4

TA225 TMA01 2005 Tutorial notes 5