by Jesse Greist
Sound is air
Air that is moved,
Air that is shaped,
Air that is sent out from the source of sound with a particular vibration
A vibration that moves through air as a definable, measurable wave form
We measure waveforms in hz, or vibrations per second – frequencies
Low frequencies are fewer vibrations per second. High frequencies vibrate faster
25 HZ, the average frequency of a cat purring, also the frequency of a piano’s low G
50 HZ, the frequency of hummingbird wings in flight, or first octave G#
230 Hz, the wings of a honeybee, and a 3rd octave A#
800 HZ, the dominant frequency of water running in a mountain stream, 5th Octave G
6000Hz, the morning chirp of a Cedar Waxwing, 8th octave G
Music is in the air, but it is so much more than frequency
It comes to us as vibrations, but also timbre – the shape of sound.
The frequency of thunder has been measured at around 40 HZ, but its rumbling timbre is that of molecules violently parted by electric heat.
A wolf howl can range from 150hz to over a thousand, but it’s the wolf’s lungs, vocal cords and mouth that turn these frequencies into mournful songs that travel miles over frozen tundra to ears twitching in moonlight.
250 hz is the frequency of the average human voice, but you well know that each word spoken, each point made has its own shape, its own recognizable timbre, its own emotion – so much so that if you are sitting in total darkness and hear a 250hz frequency, you won’t simply hear a third octave B note, You’ll hear me, or Sunny, or Stephen, or a piano, a cello or a violin.
The world is teeming with frequencies. Car horns, rainstorms, arguing pundits, crying babies, purring cats on laps. In this moment, let us shape these competing frequencies of the busy, confusing, worrying world out there the timbre of centeredness, the timbre of calm, the timbre of beauty, the timbre of rest. As the children move on to their classes, let us each create a frequency of sound. Choose one, any single note. Listen to the voices of those around you, harmonize with them. Give your note the gift of your own special sacred timbre. Let our collective sound grow, crest and fade. Let us make music together, as the children exit with me.