Chapter 2 Reading Response

One thing that stood out to me in this week’s reading was that loudness, one of the elements of music, is a psychological phenomenon just like pitch. It all exists in our head. That really blew my mind. Loudness is something that I’ve always notice but never thought about. It was really interesting to learn about how our bodies compress sounds to protect our ears from damage. Also, the fact that our perceptions of loudness alter when the sounds in the world get louder. It’s like our bodies are just a big pink adjusting machine.
This makes me wonder just how different people perceived sounds and loudness back in the day. When the reading talked about how some people like really loud music, I found that very relatable. Although, after reading about how loud sounds can damage the ear, it made me think of how sounds can be used as a weapon. It’s scary to think that a very loud noise can be used to disrupt everyday life.