GOOD Music, or
BAD Music?
Such an easy question. Or is it? Let’s ask a few people, “What is
the difference between ‘Good’ music and ‘Bad’ music?”
Answer #1: “Good music sounds good. Bad music doesn’t.”
Answer #2: “Well, it really depends on what the person is used to.”
Answer #3: “I like good music. I don’t like bad music.”
Answer #4: “That’s a good philosophical question. Over thousands
of years, .....” Never mind. NEXT!
Answer #5: “It depends on whether the words are nice or naughty.”
Answer #6: “Good music pleases God. Bad music doesn’t.”
Tough question. Isn’t it? The purpose of this discussion is to
help one understand that there truly is “Good” music and “Bad”
music, and how to know the difference. Evaluating the lyrics is
easy (if you can understand them), though they are often subject to
personal preferences.
It is the actual construction of music
itself that will be the primary subject of this discussion.
Table of Contents
My Introduction to Practical Music Theory and Physics
A Primer to the Mathematics of Music
Piano Chart with Note Frequencies
God’s Design of the Incredible Ear
God’s Design for a Chord
Music From a “Visible” Perspective
God’s Design for Ear Protection; The “Phon” Level
Fine Tuning Our Appreciation for Good Music
The “Spirit” of Music
Closing Remark
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My Introduction to Practical Music Theory and Physics
1 Cor 12:4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
Yes, some of us were given the gift of musical talent, others of us
definitely weren’t. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love good music.
I always have, and the more I learn about it the more I love it.
I refer to people with a deep love for music and no musical talent
as “frustrated musicians.”
Sometimes we frustrated musicians
attempt to channel that deep love into productive areas other than
playing music. In 1975, a friend (Dave Casey) and I began studying
music theory in college. We were definitely “fish out of water” in
a class with mostly accomplished musicians. We later decided to do
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a self study, sponsored by the University, in music theory. The
task was to determine if it would be feasible for a computer to
“listen” to music and print the sheet music.
So, off we went. We studied electronics, computer technologies,
various musical instruments, voice, etc. It was a colossal task.
Conclusion? In a word, NO. It would be possible to recognize most
musical frequencies. But there would be substantial obstacles in
the road. Perhaps the most critical would actually be the task of
printing the music.
At the time, no commonly available, and
affordable printer could possibly print sheet music.
Then comes 1987, the age of personal computers! Dot matrix
printers! (Those big clunky things you threw away years ago.)
Substantial computational power, and commercially available digital
converters! We’re off again! We banded together with electronics
wizards, computer gurus, musicians, and frustrated musicians
(that’s me.)
My task was to determine the technical feasibility from a
mathematical point of view.
It was an exciting mission. The
sequence of research (in brief) was:
1)
Generate mathematical “music” with the computer. (We had a
special program that could generate and add sine wave
functions.)
2)
Have the computer analyze that artificial music to find out if
it could determine the artificial “note” being played.
3)
Generate mathematical music with multiple notes (chords).
4)
See if the computer could analyze it.
What were the
computer’s limitations?
5)
Record actual musical notes from various instruments.
We
recorded the piano, the classical guitar, and the clarinet.
(Instruments that just happened to be readily available.)
6)
Modify the personal computer so that it could “listen” to
these actual notes.
7)
Have the computer analyze these notes, chords, etc.
8)
Similarly, analyze voice, etc.
The study was exciting!
But why have I gone to this detail?
Because the most fascinating discoveries of this study were:
A)
Even today’s powerful computers will still have significant
limitations. In fact, one intriguing limitation is that it
would ONLY be able to analyze music. “Noise” would merely
send it into a state of total confusion.
This was a
fascinating discovery to say the least! How would the music
industry respond to a product that says “Huh!?!” to some of
the most popular recording artists?
Would this product
revolutionize “music” as we know it today?
B)
Perhaps what was even more exciting though, was to find that
God designed the human ear in such a way that it has better
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musical discernment (in the lowest octave on the piano) than
what is mathematically possible! Notice, I did NOT say, “than
what a computer can discern.”
This phenomena is not a
technology limitation. This is a physical impossibility! Yet
it is painfully true, as any piano student can attest when he
touches a wrong key in this octave for only the slightest
moment.
Due to these limitations, we found that the only way the concept
could possibly work would be to use substantial “artificial
intelligence” which I will explain some other time (if you are not
too bored).
Obviously this task is a difficult one.
Little
companies with limited resources like Microsoft, Inc. have been
working on this concept for 15 years. Yet, to date, no one has
ever produced a device to accomplish this task. A similar task can
be accomplished by analyzing the notes of specific instruments;
like an electric piano. But this is substantially easier since the
musician told the instrument what the note was when he touched the
key.
Perhaps it is this problem A) above, that has caused potential
product developers to throw in the towel. It is this very point,
the definitive and well definable difference between music and
noise, that I intend to illustrate in this discussion.
This
difference between “music” and “noise” is so paramount that the
computer would only be able to ascertain the “music”, and it
couldn’t accept much “noise” before it would be hopelessly lost.
A Primer to the Mathematics of Music
First, we will need a simple primer in music mathematics. Don’t
give up yet! The mathematical relationship between musical notes
is far simpler than the analysis required to discern the notes. If
you can add 1 plus 1 a few times, you can get there from here.
Ps 8:3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the
moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained....
God “ordained” or defined everything from the expanse of the orbits
of the entire universe to the tiny electrons of an atom. The study
of mathematical formulas used to describe the “order” of God’s
creation is commonly referred to as “physics”. The study of this
order, or physics, is one of the most incredible testimonies to
God’s infinite wisdom and power.
The physics of music is no
exception.
The easiest way to describe the “order” or physics of music is by
illustration. The “piano chart” depicted on the next page has the
“frequencies” of each note listed on the keyboard. In the case of
a piano, a frequency is the number of times per second that a
string vibrates back and forth. For example, the lowest note on
the piano, A, vibrates 27.5 times per second. Since this is a
mouthful to say, we call it 27.5 hertz; abbreviated 27.5 Hz.
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God’s Design of the Incredible Ear
Speaking of 27.5 Hz, would you like to amaze your friends? If so,
play the 220 Hz A, then the 110 Hz A, followed by the 55 Hz A, and
then finally the 27.5 Hz A. Assuming your piano is in tune, ALL of
your friends will agree that there is nothing wrong with this
progression of notes. Just for kicks, play the exact progression
again. Next play this progression at the exact same tempo, 220 Hz
A, 110 Hz A, 55 Hz A, and the 29.1 Hz A#. You only have to barely
touch the A# and your friends will instantly cringe! Why should
this amaze your friends? It is not possible for a single computer
processor to detect the briefest note durations of less than a
tenth of a second AND for the same processor to detect that this A#
was NOT the correct note. This detection principle is known as the
Nyquist Criteria. However, this human ability should be recognized
as a truly awesome miracle of God’s design!
God’s Design for a Chord
Looking back at the piano chart, you will see an illustration of
how the C chord is generated. However, in order to illustrate the
mathematical relationship of music, and keep the math simpler, I
will describe the A chord. Hopefully both illustrations will be
helpful to you.
For the sake of our example, let’s assume that the A string
generates a frequency of 110 Hz. It is easy to imagine a string
vibrating from the middle with both ends held fixed. What is a
little more difficult to visualize is all the other motions of the
same string at exactly the same time. The 110 Hz is the “first
harmonic”
or
“fundamental”
frequency,
but
numerous
other
frequencies also exist simultaneously. Imagine holding the middle
of this string still and having the two halves of the string also
vibrate. These two halves would vibrate at 220 Hz. Then imagine
the string being held still at two locations with three equal
lengths of strings vibrating at 330 Hz, etc. Eventually we would
have this single string generating frequencies of 110 Hz, 220 Hz,
330 Hz, 440 Hz, 550 Hz, and so on. (That was the tough part of the
math.) These various frequencies are called “harmonics” of the
fundamental frequency.
All of these frequencies are generated
simultaneously from the one string being tapped by the piano’s
hammer. (Actually the piano may have been a poor choice since the
hammer of a piano actually strikes two or three strings.)
Now look back at the piano chart and notice what sounds have
actually been generated naturally. The musician pressed the single
110 Hz A key, but also generated sound from the 220 A note, the 330
E note, the 440 A note, and 550 Hz which is very close to the C#
key.
This fundamental physics of a single vibrating string
generating all of these frequencies defines the mathematical
foundation of music.
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Physics of a Vibrating String
The following graphics are intended to visually illustrate the
vibrating motion of a 110 Hz “A” string.
The First (or Fundamental) Harmonic
“A” String Vibrating at 110 Hz
The Second Harmonic
The SAME String ALSO Vibrates at 220 Hz
The Third Harmonic
The SAME String ALSO Vibrates at 330 Hz
The Fourth Harmonic
The SAME String ALSO Vibrates at 440 Hz
The Fifth Harmonic
The SAME String ALSO Vibrates at 550 Hz
The series continues. A single “A” string vibrates with ALL of
these motions simultaneously.
The same 110 Hz “A” note of
different instruments has different sound characteristics.
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What is an Amaj chord? You guessed it, A, C#, and E! This is not
by accident. Chords do not sound pleasing just because we are used
to hearing them. These notes make up the Amaj chord because that’s
the way God designed the vibrating string.
(Or any other
vibration, for that matter.)
This is the most fundamental
relationship of musical notes. Similar mathematical relationships
prescribe proper movements from one note (or chord) to the next.
What is the most dominant sound in an Amaj chord?
The A, of
course. The 110 Hz A note generates a 220 Hz A and a 440 Hz A as
well! What is the next most dominant note in the chord? The E
(known as the “perfect fifth”). This 330 Hz generated by the 110
Hz A is practically perfect with respect to the 329.6 Hz E key on
the piano. The least dominant sound from this chord is the 550 Hz
frequency. It is least dominant for two reasons. First, it is five
harmonics out from the fundamental frequency and each harmonic
tends to lose energy. And second, it does not fit the C# quite as
perfectly as does the 330 Hz E. The actual C# note is 554.4 Hz.
This is not to suggest that the 550 Hz frequency is not important
to music. No, in fact it is extremely important. It is this fact,
that the real C# note with a 554.4 Hz frequency is slightly higher
than the 550 Hz natural frequency, that gives the “major” chord an
uplifting sound. A minor chord would use the C note. The 523.3 Hz
C is significantly lower than the natural 550 Hz giving the minor
chord its more depressive feeling. It is these “major” and “minor”
variations that provide the feeling to music.
The critical point to remember, from all this, is that God created
“order” in the universe! As illustrated above, this order can be
heard in music.
Sounds that do not fit this mathematical
relationship to one another are known as “dissonant”. Dissonance
adds chaos and confusion.
From a pure physics point of view,
chaotic and confusing sound, is by definition, noise.
Music From a “Visible” Perspective
In our research project, it was also incredible to actually and
literally see God’s order in music. A simple sine wave displayed
on a computer screen has an order that is obvious to anyone that
sees it. However, multiple notes mathematically summed together
and displayed on the screen, such as the 110 Hz and 220 Hz
illustration above, also have a visual order! On the other hand,
two dissonant notes displayed on the screen have absolutely no
visual order.
A dissonant waveform not only sounds noisy but
visually appears to be mere chaos as well. Incredible!
Ps 71:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to
confusion.
1 Cor 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace,
as in all churches of the saints.
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Since Satan is the author of confusion, dissonance cannot possibly
honor God.
God’s Design for Ear Protection; The “Phon” Level
It is also interesting to note that God designed the human being
with a built in protection from noise. I recall an enlightening
afternoon with a friend in college once. We were intentionally
playing the various harmonics of our guitar strings. This can be
done by holding a particular position of the string stationary.
The first few harmonics sound just as pretty as the string itself.
However, starting with the 7th harmonic (770 Hz for a 110 Hz A) some
become pure dissonance. After playing with these purely dissonant
harmonics and commenting on their respective sound qualities, we
both suddenly realized that we could see each other’s mouth moving
but we couldn’t hear a single word! God’s design of our brain had
simply shut the auditory function down tight, as if to say, “I’m
not going to put up with that any longer!”
I have since found that, although the brain rarely shuts the
auditory system down entirely, it constantly suppresses it when
subjected to noise. You have heard of “decibel” measurements of
how loud a sound is. (Named after Alexander Graham Bell) There is
also a “phon” measurement.
This is the minimum difference in
decibel levels between a desirable sound intended to be heard over
background noise. This phon level varies from person to person,
but always increases as a noise becomes more objectionable.
Incredible design!!!
Fine Tuning Our Appreciation for Good Music
So - by now, have we defined “Good” and “Bad” music? No, No, No.
But, only now that we have defined the difference between noise and
music, can we begin to discern the difference between good and bad
music. I suggest that you “study” the music you hear. Don’t just
listen to it. Actually study it as you listen. You will find that
most music from the “classical period” that is still popular today
is “good music.” Classical music that has withstood the test of
time (hundreds of years) is generally (but not always) quite good.
Other music written during that same time period that is no longer
popular, failed that test of time. Listen carefully and you will
hear tremendous variety of good, harmonious music. On the other
hand, most “popular music” written today is riddled with excessive
noise. (The key word here is most, not all.) This reflects the
fragmented, disheartened lifestyles that we live today.
It
provides a psychological release for bottled up frustration. This
release is not necessary for those who rest in the Lord. So, as I
said earlier, study the music you hear. Listen for the difference
between harmony and noise. As you do, you will naturally begin to
lean towards, and suddenly appreciate, God’s design of harmony in
music.
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Am I saying that the difference is strictly defined by the noise
content, or lack thereof? And that personal preference plays no
role? Absolutely not. As Christians, God has given us the liberty
to prayerfully choose our means of serving Him. We make judgement
decisions every day about our actions as we walk with Christ. We
should decide which music to listen to on a similar basis. Whereas
we have concrete moral values; we should also have concrete music
values. As a Christian, there are actions we absolutely wouldn’t
think of doing.
We also have actions that we personally don’t
consider sinful, but we respect fellow Christians and refrain from
that act so as not to cause a brother to stumble. Shouldn’t this
same process carry over to our choice of music?
You may ask, “Can noise ever glorify God?” Actually, yes. (You
thought I was going to say, “No,” didn’t you?) For example, I sing
in the Key of J; not very sharp, but a lot of flats. That’s noise!
How does it glorify God? Only when I am singing to His glory. God
tells us on numerous occasions to glorify Him through our singing.
He created (designed) my voice, and therefore, knows how it sounds.
Can music be fully harmonic with no noise content, and not glorify
God?
Absolutely.
Take a gifted composer, commission him to
compose music for a special event, and later tell him he was
defrauded into signing away his rights to it. The result? Maurice
Ravel’s Bolero. Ravel paid them back by composing a piece so
sensual that no one would dare play it in public! (Of course it’s
quite popular today, and Ravel is very proud of the piece.)
Can music truly affect our moods or actions? No question about it!
My first draft of this discussion described a very vivid
composition that would take the listener through several scenes
without a single spoken word. However, wise counsel has suggested
that the illustration be removed from this discussion because it
was too graphic. Never the less, the point is still just as valid;
if music can paint vivid graphic impressions, it can have awesome
power; uplifting or damaging! Listener beware!
Thus we have finally approached an answer to our original question;
“What is the difference between ‘Good’ music and ‘Bad’ music?”
Good music follows God’s designed order. Bad music is dissonance,
chaos, and confusion. Good music honors God and His design. Bad
music mocks God and His design. You may say, “Well, I still like
my hard rock music!” At which point, I must insist, “No, you need
to be honest with yourself and admit that you still like your hard
rock noise.” This is not a subjective definition. Sound either
follows God’s design and glorifies Him, or it doesn’t. Just as in
the proper preparation of an Old Testament sacrifice; good music is
a “sweet incense” unto the Lord. Noise is “bitter incense” and an
abomination unto the Lord. You may say, “That sounds like a mighty
fine line to draw.” In which case, I like Bill Gothard’s response,
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“Why do we insist on drawing so many ‘fine lines’?
have a wide chasm?”
Why can’t we
It is sad to hear pastors justify loud noisy music in their worship
services by quoting Psalm 150:5, “Praise him upon the loud cymbals:
praise him upon the high sounding cymbals,” with the emphasis on
“loud cymbals.” This is a gross misapplied interpretation of the
verse that defies the entire nature of the chapter. The focus of
this entire chapter in Psalms is to praise God! The Hebrew word
used in this verse is “shama” which is used over 1000 times in the
Old Testament. It implies “clear and distinctive,” NOT “loud and
noisy.” The context of the word “shama,” as Strong’s Concordance
puts it, is “to hear intelligently.” This is the context of all 81
uses of the word “shama” in the book of Psalms. There is no reason
to suggest that it means anything different such as “loud or
noisy,” in Psalm 150. Lastly, as indicated by this passage, the
art of making cymbals is one of the oldest musical arts there is.
Throughout the history of cymbal making, the artisans most guarded
secret was (and still is today) how they make their cymbals clear
and distinctive!
The “Spirit” of Music
Is this harmony or dissonance the only discriminating factor? No.
As described above there are other parameters. My initial purpose
of this discussion is to provide the understanding that “good” or
“bad” music is NOT solely subjective.
It is only after the
harmonious aspect (God’s intended order) has been satisfied that
personal preferences can be applied. Then, once this element has
been fully understood, then, and only then, can one begin to
evaluate the other factors such as rhythm, or perhaps, most
importantly, the “spirit” that is developed by the music.
The
spirit of the music should always honour God!
Let’s talk about the spirit of the music. Can sinful lyrics honor
God? Obviously not! “Well, it’s only a few of the words,” you may
say. That may be true, BUT, a few words may be more damaging than
many words! People memorize and mentally repeat music over and
over in their minds every day. It is the short jingles that are
memorized and repeated the most easily. Ever get a silly jingle in
your head that you couldn’t stop?
Of, course!
We all have.
Advertisers pay millions of dollars for only a few seconds of TV
time.
Their words usually include music. Why? Because a few
words heard over and over will win people over. The same is true
of the few words of a musical score. You must avoid sinful lyrics,
or any lyric that glorifies sin, to the best of your ability.
And the spirit of the music doesn’t stop here! The spirit of the
music extends far beyond the notes and lyrics!
Consequently,
whether music is “good” or “bad” may have nothing to do with it’s
notes or lyrics and everything to do with you. That’s right; with
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Y O U! Consider Rom 14:13, “Let...no man put a stumbling block or
an occasion to fall in his brother's way.”
Is the music a
“stumbling block” to you? If so, you put it there and you need to
remove it. How do you know if it’s a stumbling block? Let’s take
two litmus tests:
1)
If someone challenges the righteousness of your music, do you
get defensive?
2)
When questioned about it, are you reluctant to turn it off?
If you answer “Yes” to either question, this music is a stumbling
block for you. Turn it off. IF your heart was righteous, you
would recognize that their ears are offended and would be eager to
quickly turn it off for their sake AND so that you would not be a
stumbling block to them. Any other response, indicates a hardened
heart. IF you are more concerned about your own “rights” to listen
to the music you like than you are about offending others, your
heart is in worse shape than your music. Music can be offensive to
other people for numerous reasons.
Suppose the lyrics are
“Christian” but the rhythm resembles music that is offensive?
Suppose there are no lyrics, but the style resembles music that
offends others? In either case, the righteous, Christian response
would be to quickly turn it off; or better yet, don’t play it in
the first place!
“But
with
1)
2)
my friends play it,” you say. There are three things wrong
this statement:
Your friends won’t answer for you on judgement day. You will.
The justification is, “If he plays it, it must be OK.” BUT,
he’s not perfect either!
And you don’t know the true
condition of his heart.
3)
It’s a clear statement of an unrighteous, hardened heart.
So - you see whether music is “good” or “bad” goes far beyond the
notes and lyrics. The issue settles deep into your own heart!
Closing Remark
“But no music is perfect,” you may say. This is true. In fact,
most music includes elements of harmony and noise. All chords (for
all practical purposes) have a slight dissonance.
But keep in
mind, the Israelites were commanded to sacrifice an unblemished
lamb.
Yet, only one such lamb has ever existed!
(Christ
Himself!)
But this did not give the Israelites the liberty to
offer unfit lambs as their sacrifice. They purposed to sacrifice
the best lamb. The same principle should apply to our music. We
should purpose to listen to only the best music that glorifies God.
We will hear perfect music for the first time - only when we enter
the gates of heaven!
Psalm 150: Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise
him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts:
praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with
the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
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Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed
instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise
him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Let every thing that hath
breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Praise the Lord!
...for them that honour me I will honour,... 1 Samuel 2:30
Jay Auxt
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 12:4
Psalm 8:3
Psalm 71:1
1 Corinthians 14:33
Psalm 150:5
Romans 14:13
Psalm 150
1 Samuel 2:30
Matt 18:19
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Interesting Music Trivia:
The popular verse, Matt 18:19 states; “Again I say unto you, that
if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they
shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in
heaven.” The Greek word for “agree” is “sumphoneo.” The English
word “symphony” is derived from this Greek word. A symphony is
characterized by being “harmonious” and “of one accord”!
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Visible Music
The 440 Hz Tuning Fork
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of 440 Hz Tuning Fork
An FFT tells us the amplitude and frequencies of the data
(Any guesses as to the source of the 880 Hz and the low frequency noise?)
Hz
Piano 110 Hz A
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of 110 Hz Piano
Notice the 110, 220, 330, 440, 550, etc harmonics
4500
Hz
Piano 110 Hz A major chord
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of 110 Hz Chord
Notice the 110 A, 220 A, 330 E, and 550 C#
(What is the source of the 4300 Hz signal?!?)
4000
4500
Hz
Noise!!!
500
1000
1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
What a Mess!!!
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of Noise (my voice!)
Can you make any mathematical sense of this mess?
No – this is truly “noise.”
It may be intelligible conversation, but it is technically “noise.”
4500
Hz
Guitar
Clarinet
Comparison of harmonics for two different instruments
It is the variation of harmonics that gives each type of instrument its distinctive sound.
Answers to Visible Music” questions:
Q)
On the “tuning fork” diagram, “Any guesses as to the source of the 880 Hz and
the low frequency noise?”
A)
The volume of sound generated by a tuning fork is so low that it is very difficult
to hear. Thus, a tuning fork is always placed on a musical instrument so that the
resonance of the instrument creates the sound. The low frequencies on the diagram are
sub-harmonics and body cavity vibration. The 880 Hz is the sympathetic vibration of the
next A string.
Q)
On all the FFT diagrams, “What is the source of the 4300 Hz signal?!?”
A)
These signals were recorded on magnetic tape. We talk about “erasing a tape,”
but in reality, it is virtually impossible to actually “erase” a magnetic tape. The “erase”
head of a tape recorder actually records a low volume 4300 hz signal. The low volume,
high pitched sound is out of hearing range for most ears.
Q)
A)
Does the music you listen to honor God?
___________________
Praise the Lord!
...for them that honour me I will honour,... 1 Samuel 2:30