MATH 260 - Statistics in Korean Music

Crosslisted With MUS 260
Prerequisite: MATH/MUS 160
FDR: FM Math and Computer Science Foundation
Experiential Learning (EXP): Yes
Credits: 4

The musical note frequencies of the keys on a piano are Benford distributed as are the works of many classical musicians including Mozart and Beethoven. But what about East Asian music? This course will explore music specifically from South Korea. We will study traditional Korean instruments such as the gayageum and the geomungo and determine whether the music they create is also Benford distributed. A portion of the course will also study the modern genre of K-pop to see if it is more or less Benford than traditional music. Students will also learn the basics of music composition such as key signatures, chord progressions, and instrumentation which will allow them to compose a song in the style of one of the Korean genres.