Typically when talking about graphs and music we talk about the graphing of sound waves.
Examples of Graphing Sound
From graphing a single sound wave,
(https://www.sscc.edu/home/jdavidso/music/musicnotes/musicnotes.html)
to graphing a recording of a piece,
we can see some basic uses of graphing in music. Each graph gives us specific information about what we are looking at. In analyzing the graph above we can quickly see where the sound dissipates and where it is loudest.
Key Components of a Graph
In every graph there are some key components that help us read and understand what it is saying. We are focusing on graphs using a cartesian coordinate system. Basically, it is the usual graph you are used to seeing. Each point can be defined by an x-coordinate and a y-coordinate where the x-axis and y-axis are defined to provide meaning to points on the graph.
Music is a time art; it changes over time. For that reason, almost all graphs relating to music have the x-axis defined as time. The definition of the y-axis is then very crucial to provide understanding. As I said earlier, almost all graphs about music that we see today use the y-axis to represent decibels (dB) to show the intensity of sound, and are usually used in the recording studio.
New Ways to Use Graphs in Music?
What if graphs could be used as a useful tool in other areas of music creation, performance and analysis? Can a graph be used to plot y-values that are more subjective than dBs? Over the next few posts I hope to show new ways of using graphs to help visualize and analyze the various aspects of music and how they can be used in a practical way when composing, rehearsing, and analyzing music.
So what’s next… Next post coming soon (Graphing Musical Energy)
One thing to keep in mind throughout my posts is that graphs are simply a tool. In my opinion a piece of music should not be reduced in this way to determine whether or not it is “better” or “worse” than another. However, graphs could be a helpful way to gain insights into a piece or group of pieces.