Sounding Science: Exploring Music in Science and Science in Music

Musical study has origins as a branch of philosophy, and historical connections with developments in maths and astronomy, etc. In modern universities, however, a music department find itself in the faculty for arts or humanities and, due to funding structures, especially where public funding is divided into arts- and science-based projects, collaborative research projects are often restricted. There is much potential in such projects, and a genuine interest and lively debate to be had between musicians and scientists. This special issue invites contributions from musicians and scientists that show the influence of scientific study upon music and vice versa, and document collaborative work. The papers will be published in a Special Issue, online at www.mdpi.com and accompanied by an interactive blog that enables the publication of video and audio links, and encourages further discussion from interested readers.

Contributions could fall into the following categories:

Instrument building and modification, and expanded sound possibilities on acoustic instruments

-Collaboration between instrument makers and instrumentalists to build new instruments (e.g., Contra-oboes and double-bass-bassoons),

-Work with instrument makers to extend instrumental possibilities (e.g., new keys to facilitate microtonal playing on keyboard and woodwind instruments)

-Construction of new instruments by composers historically, in recent history and currently

-Reconstruction of early instruments using traditional and modern techniques (such as 3D printing)

-Collaboration between performers and acousticians to expand the possibilities of instrumental playing and to explain and categorise new sound phenomena (e.g., multiphonics)

The use of technology to record, amplify, create new instruments, and interact with performers

-Historical and recent developments in recording techniques

-Development of equipment and techniques for amplification

-The building of electronic/sensor instruments for solo and ensemble performance

-The use of programmes such as MaxMSP to interact with live performance

-Composition using pre-recorded and modified sound

Psychological and Physiological research

-Developments in the understanding of music perception

-Developments in the understanding of the psychology of performers (e.g., learning and rehearsal techniques, memorising techniques and performance nerves)

-Understanding of the physiology of performance (e.g., healthy practice, injury)

We welcome inputs from active practitioners (performers, composers, acousticians, psychologists, etc.) describing their current research, and reviews that offer a historical perspective.

Dr. Ellen Fallowfield
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Arts is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.