[Smt-talk] Fwd: good bacterial vibrations

[Dave Headlam]

Hi Donna -- the article mentions "tuning fork", "oscillators", and 
changes in amplitude, but also a "moving needle" somewhat, I imagine, 
like a seismic graph. Distinctions between bacteria seem to be based on 
amplitude alone, rather than complexity of the vibration, level of 
periodicity or something akin to frequency or amplitude modulation ( 
beats, etc.).  The article ends with the provocative statement, "if it 
moves [ vibrates, oscillates, etc.] it's alive" in reference to "martian 
dirt."  Any vibration has some potential for expression and so 
cataloging the nature of vibrations seems to be one way of identifying 
phenomena, and perhaps distinguishing not only life forms from each 
other but live forms from inanimate ones.  Perhaps a future Enterprise 
will have an "Acoustics Officer" in the station beside Science Officer 
Spock -- One can only imagine what "He's dead, Jim!" might signify in 
this context -- perhaps "He's ceased vibrating, Jim" will be the 
pronouncement as a tuning fork is returned grimly to it's holster.

As for Strauss, with his C and B he got very close to the 60 Hz Bb that 
apparently shapes sports chants and perhaps Zarathustrian pontifications 
( I have a vague recollection here of a basketball scenario and Dan 
Harrison as authority, back when "smt-talk" was traded in stone tablets).

Dave Headlam


On 8/4/13 8:05 AM, Donna Doyle wrote:
> P S Or, vibrations divided, of course.
>
> Interesting, R Strauss' prescience in Zarathustra re the pitch of the 
> universe (B), although he got it the other way around (Zara's C for 
> universal nature and B for human).
>
> With affiliation this time,
>
> Donna Doyle
> Queens College CUNY
> Flushing, NY 11367
>
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
>> *From:* Donna Doyle <donnadoyle at att.net <mailto:donnadoyle at att.net>>
>> *Date:* August 4, 2013, 7:15:24 AM EDT
>> *To:* Dave Headlam <dheadlam at esm.rochester.edu 
>> <mailto:dheadlam at esm.rochester.edu>>
>> *Cc:* "smt-talk at lists.societymusictheory.org 
>> <mailto:smt-talk at lists.societymusictheory.org>" 
>> <smt-talk at lists.societymusictheory.org 
>> <mailto:smt-talk at lists.societymusictheory.org>>
>> *Subject:* *Re: [Smt-talk] good bacterial vibrations*
>>
>> Thanks, Dave!
>>
>> Questions: Are the vibrations steady? If multiplied to lie within 
>> human hearing range, what pitch would they produce? (Remember the NPR 
>> program on the pitch of outer space?)
>>
>> Best,
>> Donna Doyle
>>
>> On Jul 2, 2013, at 7:33 AM, Dave Headlam <dheadlam at esm.rochester.edu 
>> <mailto:dheadlam at esm.rochester.edu>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi -- interesting story here about vibration rates in bacteria and 
>>> applications for antibiotics.  Makes me wonder about possible uses 
>>> for music theory outside the usual classroom - hotel ballroom 
>>> circuit.  Could we help analyze these pathological songs?
>>>
>>> http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2013/06/microscopic-tuning-forks-could-m.html?ref=hp
>>>
>>> Dave Headlam
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Dave Headlam
>>> Professor of Music Theory
>>> Eastman School of Music
>>> 26 Gibbs St.
>>> Rochester, NY 14604
>>> david.headlam at rochester.edu <mailto:david.headlam at rochester.edu>
>>> http://theory.esm.rochester.edu/dave_headlam
>>>
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>
>
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-- 
Dave Headlam
Professor of Music Theory
Eastman School of Music
26 Gibbs St.
Rochester, NY 14604
david.headlam at rochester.edu

http://theory.esm.rochester.edu/dave_headlam

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