How Music Works - The Physics

<p>Would you buy a boat or a midcentury sideboard from your high school pals? Because Oz&rsquo;s alma mater has opened an <em>exclusive</em> online marketplace for just this purpose! This week, Oz spins a yarn about Kitkat, the San Francisco cat killed by a Waymo. Locals are furi ... Show More

<p>This week, Oz talks to Nick McKeown, who is a member of the PM&rsquo;s Council of Science and Technology, where he advises the British government on the best opportunities for economic growth in the tech sector. And according to Nick, that opportunity is AI Chips. He argues th ... Show More

<p>Malcolm Gladwell heads to San Francisco Tech Week to talk with IBM&rsquo;s new Director of Research Jay Gambetta in front of a live audience. They discuss IBM&rsquo;s plans to scale quantum computing power, the groundbreaking experiments already underway, and what impact these ... Show More

From electric guitars to samplers to drum machines and beyond, the music we love is only possible thanks to the technology used to create it. In many ways, the history of popular music is really a history of technological innovation. In this episode, we partnered with BandLab to ... Show More

<p>A Musical Time Machine for the Brain: What is music doing to our perception of time? It seems to transport us to the past. It speeds things up and slows things down. And just how do others exploit these qualities to manipulate us? Find out in this episode of Stuff to Blow Your ... Show More

<p>In 1919 a brilliant Russian scientist accidentally stumbled onto the first electronic musical instrument in history – the theremin – which you play not by strings, keys, or even percussion, but by moving your hand in the air around it. Prepare to science!</p><p> </p> Learn mor ... Show More

<p>Whether it's Art Garfunkel's mathematics degree or the structure of the chromatic scale, it's easy to correlate music and math. But why are so many musical minds also well suited for number crunching? Tune in to learn more about music and math.</p><p> </p> Learn more about you ... Show More

Composers use musical references to help create mood -- and as a wink at other music lovers. Learn how 'Dies Irae', or 'The Day of Wrath', is often used in film soundtracks in this classic episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/why-s ... Show More

Few musical instruments are as associated with American music and culture as the saxophone, but it's origins go back to 19th century Belgian instrument maker's Parisian shop. Robert Lamb and Joe McCormick explore in this episode of Invention.  Learn more about your ad-choices at ... Show More

Lots of astronauts have performed music in space, just for fun or for wider audiences. Learn what considerations it takes in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://science.howstuffworks.com/astronauts-play-music-in-space.htm Learn more about your ad-choices at ... Show More

Composers use musical references to classics in their own work to help create mood -- and as a wink at other music lovers. Learn how one such reference, 'Dies Irae', or 'The Day of Wrath', is often used in film soundtracks in this episode of BrainStuff. Learn more about your ad-c ... Show More

Why do certain works of music make our skin crawl? In this episode of Stuff to Blow Your Mind, Joe chats with producer Seth about the science of scary music and Seth tells everyone about his new music podcast Rusty Needle's Record Club. Learn more about your ad-choices at https:/ ... Show More