Physics and music have been related for millenia. The art and science of music acoustics are presented here, in musician-friendly format, as is our research in music science.

Navigate using the headings and images above, the site map or 'search'. Usually, there is a non-technical introduction linked to more detailed work. 'Basics' gives introductions to general topics.

New

• Summer scholarships and Honours scholarships are available for Australian students
• Physclips Waves and Sound: On our introductory physics website
• The 2010 award for excellence in acoustics was won by a team from the lab
• Plenary lecture at the International Congress on Acoustics, based largely on the lab's work
• Introduction to voice acoustics: an informal overview, followed by more detail
• New scientific papers on singing, musical instruments, Wagner's operas and more. See Publications
• Music Science at UNSW: inter-faculty collaborations in research and teaching

Featured projects

• Saxophonists learn to tune their vocal tracts: a recent study. Reported in Science.
• The Sounds of World English: 'map your own accent and contribute to this global project.
• Arlen Fast, of New York Philharmonic, had a sabbatical project here on the contrabassoon.
• The Neville Fletcher archive honours an outstanding researcher.
• How do violins change with age and playing: an interim report on a long term study.
• Vocal tract tuning by sopranos: how do they sing so loudly? Reported in Nature.
• The acoustics of harmonic singing: introduction and measurements.
• The didjeridu:how can a simple instrument make so many sounds? Reported in Nature.
• Test your own hearing response curve using this interactive web service.

• FAQ - Frequently asked questions about music acoustics. For example: What is a decibel?
• Introduction to the acoustics of musical instruments. This series of web pages, with plenty of illustrations and sound files, presents introductions to brass instruments, clarinet, didjeridu, flute, guitar, saxophone, violin and the voice.

Other recent awards won by the Acoustics Lab.

How to get to UNSW Acoustics Lab: Maps