-
A New Approach to the Analysis of Timbre
- Author(s):
- Megan Lavengood (see profile)
- Date:
- 2017
- Group(s):
- Society for Music Theory – Popular Music Interest Group
- Subject(s):
- Musicology, Music--Technological innovations, Music theory, Popular music
- Item Type:
- Dissertation
- Institution:
- City University of New York
- Tag(s):
- 1980s, fm synthesis, synthesizers, timbre, yamaha dx7, Music technology, Popular Music Studies
- Permanent URL:
- http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/M6FG5W
- Abstract:
- Two distinct approaches to timbre analysis exist, each with complementary strengths and limitations. First, music theorists from the 1980s adopt a positivist mindset and look for ways to quantify timbral phenomena, often using spectrograms, while avoiding any cultural dimensions in their work. Second, writings of the past five years focus on the cultural aspects of timbre but make no use of spectrograms. This dissertation builds upon these two approaches by synthesizing them: discussion is grounded in spectrogram analysis, but situated within a broad cultural context, through interactions with listener experience and ethnographic study of music periodicals and other published interviews. The theory is applicable to any genre of music, but 1980s popular music is used as a case study, with a particular focus on the Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, used in much of this music.
- Metadata:
- xml
- Status:
- Published
- Last Updated:
- 5 years ago
- License:
- All Rights Reserved
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