The Science of Music: How Technology Has Shaped the Evolution of an Artform

An investigation into the relationship between science and music - from Pythagoras to the Moog synthesizer.

In this new title in Icon’s Hot Science series, Andrew May traces how important science is in all aspects of music. After the basics of acoustic science and the history of sound waves, he explores how musicians have played with the scientific parameters of sound to apply algorithmic rules to create music.

The role of science in music can be seen most obviously in the development of electronic technology, which has revolutionized how humans create, record and listen to music. The book also covers the complex world of brain science behind the creation of music, and the way we listen to and perceive it, and the frightening question of whether some form of AI would ever be able to create music on a par to that created by humans.

Andrew May is a freelance writer and former scientist, with a PhD in astrophysics. He has written five books in Icon’s Hot Science series: Destination Mars, Cosmic Impact, Astrobiology, The Space Business and The Science of Music. He lives in Somerset, UK.