The mathematics of music is complex. Pythagoras of ancient Greece was one of the first to look into the workings behind the sounds we hear and what he discovered was astounding. Today the science of music has improved dramatically and technology as in many cases become an integral part of sound. Only one hundred years ago recordings of music were uncommon. One of the greatest changes to happen to the musical world has been the switch from acoustic to analogue to digital. Today music is literally traveling in the air all around us in the form of waves and through cables we cannot see. Every car comes with a radio and there are now countless ways to access music across the world. The internet provides bands and artists with a way to connect and reach out to potential listeners. Streaming websites offer instant access to music for free while programs such as iTunes provide a user with virtually limitless music available for purchase and download. News headlines in the 90s were dominated by Napster and other such sites which for the first time introduced free music downloading and sparked huge legal debates. Other sites, such as Myspace, have now dedicated sections to purely musical artists and these streaming sites offer much more than just the music. A user can access record label information, read bios, see tour dates, buy merchandise and much more! These sites also allow for local bands that do not have corporate funding to kick start their career as they are free and also widely used. Artists today also use their internet sites to portray an image of the band. Just like material advertising, digital advertising is critical today for the musician to promote sales. Digital radio is even immerging today with cars radios now displaying the name of the currents song playing as well as other information deemed important by the station. Music storage has dramatically changed as well with technology introducing mp3 players and iPods which can hold thousands of songs in your pocket! Records have all but disappeared today and are only still used commonly in the DJ music world.
Recording music has never been easer. One hundred years ago gramophones were the best way to record sound and they were quiet, scratchy sounding, very large and bulky, fragile and expensive as well! Today anyone can have a recording studio in their basement with the capability to produce high quality recordings. Technology has come so far as to even replace some instruments and create new ones! The Theremin is an instrument which senses the electric field around a human body and responds to changes in the fields intensity by changing the sound it produces. It is also the first musical instrument invented which is played without being touched. Synthesizers have also replaced many pianos in recordings today and drums have been turned into a keypad. All these changes and advancements show how technology has changed our perception about music and has forever become an important part of music.
