Musical Inventions, 1st Edition

Introduction: The Science of Sound and the Art of Inventing Instruments

Music is a fundamental part of our evolution; we probably sang before we spoke.

—Jay Schulkin, Reflections on the Musical Mind

Figure I-1: You can make almost anything into an instrument. Some musical inventor turned this chemistry set into an electric ukulele.

Nobody knows who invented music. But music may have been one of the earliest forms of human communication. That’s because music can tell stories and create moods without using a single word. Music can make you ...