The Science of musical soundJohn R. Pierce
The Science of musical sound
by John R. Pierce · first published 1983
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2016–2026first – last mentioned
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I don't have any good web links, but a couple of books that I've found useful are The Science of Musical Sound by John R. Pierce and Harmonic Experience by W. Mathieu. (The former is more focused on sound and scientific theory, whereas the latter is more focused on understanding music in a way that would be useful…
on “Music Theory: An Education from First Principles” ↗…enjoy music "optimally". References: Sound: A Very Short Introduction by Mike Goldsmith (also see his other related book on Waves) - https://global.oup.com/academic/product/sound-9780198708445?... The Science of Musical Sound by John R. Pierce. An old classic; also checkout his other books on Waves, Signals and Information Theory. They are all written in a semi-technical and clear manner for the general audience. - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_R._Pierce
on “Six Math Essentials” ↗…quantitative underpinnings of why things sound the way they do. Two more enjoyable books on the math and physics of music (though, again, probably not far enough up the tree of abstraction for chords): "The Science of Musical Sound" by Pierce (lovely little book, not too deep though, quite coffee tableable) "Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics" by Benade (old book, considered a classic, reads like a science text) Good luck!
on “Math and Music: The Deeper Links (1982)” ↗