> At 02:00 PM 2/16/06 -0500, Andrew Stiller wrote: > >it has been proven > >scientifically, decades ago, that no more than 8 or ten such discrete > >levels can be distinguished by the ear. > > The generally accepted empirical standared is that the average human ear > can distinguish 3dB differences. The soft-loud range in live > acoustic music > is roughly 30-110 db, so that's more than 25 discrete levels, not even > taking into account the educated hearing of musicians. The > Nilsson markings > make even more sense now. The typical musical markings would represent 7dB > differences, and your statement makes that 9dB differences. Have you got a > cite for the 8-10 levels that contradicts the 3dB discrimination? > > Dennis
Actually, 3dB is usually considered the level difference that is "readily apparent", but the human ear can easily detect differences as small as 1dB. However, this has little to do with (traditional) musical dynamic markings, which are relative and whose meaning to the performer is contextual. For a score of an electronic music composition (often produced after the "performance"), there are literally many dozens of useful, discrete volume levels. Lee Actor Composer-in-Residence and Assistant Conductor, Palo Alto Philharmonic http://www.leeactor.com _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
