A Musician's Guide to Time

Music involves time in all its aspects – from soundwaves to dance forms to recording – but the way it is discussed depends on the perspective and discipline. This book aims to demystify the subject of time and suggest some practical means for thinking about it. A brief survey of general issues in metaphors of time and human perception leads into the ways in which these are reflected in the experience of music. Factors which shape each individual’s appreciation of temporal sonic patterns and designs reveal the difference between our hard-wired perception mechanisms and others like memories, aesthetics, and personal skill in adapting our temporal ‘lenses’ to various time-spans. A concluding section reflects on the capacity of music to enrich our experience and understanding of time in general. The book is written in a “conversational scholarly” style and is intended for anyone who enjoys speculating about time and music, including researchers and artists from different disciplines and cultures. It therefore includes references to a wide variety of musical styles and contexts of interaction, avoids most technical language, and amplifies ideas with whimsical illustrations as appropriate. N.B. The book format is a fixed-layout PDF.