Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound: An Introduction to Psychoacoustics - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0262531909 ISBN 13: 9780262531900

Publisher: The MIT Press, 2001

Synopsis

The first book to provide comprehensive introductory coverage of the multiple topics encompassed under psychoacoustics.

How hearing works and how the brain processes sounds entering the ear to provide the listener with useful information are of great interest to psychologists, cognitive scientists, and musicians. However, while a number of books have concentrated on individual aspects of this field, known as psychoacoustics, there has been no comprehensive introductory coverage of the multiple topics encompassed under the term. Music, Cognition, and Computerized Sound is the first book to provide that coverage, and it does so via a unique and useful approach.

The book begins with introductory chapters on the basic physiology and functions of the ear and auditory sections of the brain, then proceeds to discuss numerous topics associated with the study of psychoacoustics, including cognitive psychology and the physics of sound. The book has a particular emphasis on music and computerized sound. An accompanying download includes many sound examples to help explicate the text and is available with the code included in the book at http://mitpress.mit.edu/mccs. To download sound samples, you can obtain a unique access code by emailing digitalproducts-cs@mit.edu or calling 617-253-2889 or 800-207-8354 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada).The contributing authors include John Chowning, Perry R. Cook, Brent Gillespie, Daniel J. Levitin, Max Mathews, John Pierce, and Roger Shepard.

About this title

About the Author

Perry R. Cook is Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Princeton University, with a joint appointment in Music.

Daniel J. Levitin is Founding Dean of Arts and Humanities at the Minerva Schools at Keck Graduate Institute and James McGill Professor Emeritus of Neuroscience and Music at McGill University. He is the author of four bestselling books, including This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession.

Roger N. Shepard is Professor of Psychology, Stanford University

Review

This volume splendidly meets the need for an up-to-date introduction to musical psychoacoustics in a collection of wide-ranging chapters by some of the most distinguished scholars in the field. I recommend it highly as a text and reference for undergraduates, graduate students, and professionals.

―Fred Lerdahl, Fritz Reiner Professor of Music, Columbia University

This collection of well-written chapters introduces readers to a range of CURRENT findings from musical acoustics, physical acoustics, and psychological experiments. The text is easy to read, and ideal for undergraduate and graduate students from varying disciplines

―Caroline Palmer, Department of Psychology, Ohio State University

A welcome and valuable teaching resource. Oriented toward classroom teaching, the book presents topics in an accessible, engaging style. The breadth of coverage is greater than that typically found in a single volume and provides an excellent introduction to the rich diversity of the field.

―Lola L. Cuddy, Professor of Psychology, Queen's University at Kingsto

This volume provides a fine, readable introduction to many topics related to music perception and computer music in a way that neatly complements other current texts. Written in a fresh, approachable style, but having significant scholarly depth, it will prove useful both as a textbook and for individuals interested in this burgeoning field of research.

―Richard Ashley, Department of Music, Northwestern University

Edition details

• Publisher: The MIT Press
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0262531909
• ISBN 13: 9780262531900
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 6
• Number of pages: 392
• Editor: Cook Perry R.