Sensing Sound and Music - Sensing Sound and Music

Introduction¶

This textbook is written for the course MUS2640 Sensing Sound and Music at the University of Oslo, a foundation course for later studies in music psychology and music technology. You will be introduced to fundamental principles of acoustics, psychoacoustics, and perception. This includes knowledge about how sound is produced in instruments, reflected in space, and perceived by humans. This is the basis for how we experience pitch, timbre, harmony, and rhythm in music. You will also learn about computer-based representations of sound and music, and get an overview of digital audio, sound synthesis, and analysis. The course provides theoretical knowledge and practical skills for further studies of music psychology and technology.

Pedagogical Strategy¶

Students in the course typically have mixed backgrounds. Everyone usually has some musical background, ranging from classical performance on acoustic instruments to electronic studio production. Some come from musicology, others from psychology, informatics, media studies, philosophy, linguistics, medicine, and more. Everyone is welcome! In-class activities will be adjusted to cater to the collective knowledge and experience of the student group.

Active learning and “flipped classroom”¶

This course builds on the idea of active learning, an approach that emphasises student engagement and participation in the learning process. Rather than passively receiving information through lectures, you are encouraged to interact with the material, ask questions, solve problems, and collaborate with peers. Activities may include group discussions, hands-on experiments, peer reviewing, and real-world projects. This method helps deepen understanding and develop critical thinking skills.

We also rely on a flipped classroom approach, a teaching model in which traditional lecture content is delivered outside of class, typically through readings, videos, or interactive resources. This frees up classroom time to apply concepts through discussion, exercises, and collaborative work. This structure allows you to learn foundational material at your own pace and use class sessions for deeper exploration, clarification, and practical applications.

A research-based and research-led course¶

This is a research-based course, meaning the content builds on new research results. All the teachers are active researchers and will bring in perspectives from ongoing projects. Much of this is based on scientific methods, but given the nature of the subject, we also include research that is design-centred or based in artistic practice. We will dwell on these differences at times, since understanding the different epistemological foundations for our knowledge production is important.

The course is also research-led, meaning that you will take part in ongoing research. This allows you to see how “real” research is conducted in practice. It is also valuable for the ongoing projects in the Department of Musicology and at RITMO. Although it is not required, you are encouraged to participate in research activities, contributing to ongoing projects, or initiating new ones. Such hands-on involvement helps bridge the gap between learning and research, inquiry and innovation.

Open Education¶

The course material is developed from the perspective of Open Education, meaning that all material is freely and openly available. This approach ensures that you have unrestricted access to resources, enabling you to revisit and explore the material beyond the course duration. Open Education also promotes collaboration and sharing of knowledge within and outside the academic community. This is important for societal innovation and the legitimisation of ongoing research.

Open Education aligns closely with the principles of Open Research, which emphasise transparency, accessibility, and reproducibility. In this course, we aim to integrate these principles by providing access to:

Open Publications: Most of the required reading materials will be openly available, either entirely free (“free as in speech”) or through institutional agreements (“free as in beer”). This means that there should be no economic barrier to attaining relevant knowledge.
Open Data: Wherever possible, datasets used in the course will be openly shared. This allows you to analyse, visualise, and interpret data independently, fostering a deeper understanding of the material and encouraging reproducibility.
Open Source Code: Tools, scripts, and examples provided during the course will be shared as open-source code. This enables you to study, modify, and build upon the code, promoting a hands-on approach to learning and encouraging contributions to the broader community.

By adopting these practices, the course not only supports your academic journey but also contributes to the global movement toward open and equitable access to knowledge. This approach empowers you to become an active participant in the creation and dissemination of knowledge, preparing you for future roles as researchers, educators, and innovators.

Embracing AI¶

In this course, we will actively explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI), both to explore the course content and as a pedagogical tool. There are currently many AI tools available, yet they are underexplored in educational settings. We will try different tools and evaluate their effectiveness.

This textbook is an example of AI-based co-creation. Different large language models and the teachers have co-written it. However, the text has been undergoing human “peer review” to ensure everything makes sense. Throughout the course, we will explore when AI can safely be used for text generation and when it fails.

In this class, you are encouraged to explore AI for learning. AI-powered platforms can adapt content and feedback to individual learning styles and paces, helping you master concepts more effectively. However, AI-based tools should be used wisely; they are meant to support learning, not replace it. After all, the exam will be performed without any tools. Then you will need to think and write on your own!

Tools¶

We will explore various tools throughout the semester. You will not learn any of these in detail, but you will see how they work and the applications for which they are suitable. These tools are designed to provide a broad overview of the possibilities in music technology and sound analysis.

Curriculum¶

The current textbook comprises the core curriculum for this course. Interested readers can find more information in the texts listed below, as well as in the references section for each chapter.

Overview¶

This textbook is divided into chapters corresponding to each week’s class.

Learn more¶

MUS2133 Music Psychology

This course explores the psychological aspects of music perception and cognition, including auditory perception, emotional responses to music, and the cognitive processes involved in musical activities such as listening, performing, and composing.

MUS2830 Computer Music

This course delves into the intersection of music and technology, covering topics such as sound synthesis, digital audio processing, and algorithmic composition. Gain hands-on experience with tools and techniques used in creating and analysing music through computational methods.

References¶

Margulis, E. H. (2018). Psychology of Music: A Very Short Introduction. In Very Short Introductions. Oxford University Press. 10.1093/actrade/9780190640156.001.0001
Katz, M. (2022). Music and Technology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University PressNew York. 10.1093/actrade/9780199946983.001.0001
Clarke, E. F. (2005). Ways of Listening. Oxford University Press. 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195151947.001.0001
Jensenius, A. R. (2022). Sound Actions: Conceptualizing Musical Instruments. The MIT Press. 10.7551/mitpress/14220.001.0001
Springer Handbook of Systematic Musicology. (2018). In Springer Handbooks. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 10.1007/978-3-662-55004-5
The Oxford Handbook of Music Psychology, Second Edition. (2014). Oxford University Press. 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198722946.001.0001

Sensing Sound and Music

1. Tuning in