HUMANS ARE obsessed with structure and the search for reason in randomness. This is as true for artists and musicians as it is for mathematicians and for this reason maths often underlies creative endeavours.

There is a whole language of technical jargon to describe music. Though these words and concepts are very handy to musicians, they tend to mystify non-musicians. Even people who go to concerts all the time, upon being confronted with terms like chromatic harmony, passacaglia and sonata form may have no real idea what they mean.

More information about Robert Greenberg could be found in an “In tune” article titled Back to School – the Joy of Learning (minus the stress).

Robert Gupta, violinist with the LA Philharmonic, talks about a violin lesson he once gave to a brilliant, schizophrenic musician — and what he learned. Called back onstage later, Gupta plays his own transcription of the prelude from Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1.

Imagine hearing great, departed pianists play again today, just as they would in person. John Q. Walker demonstrates how recordings can be analyzed for precise keystrokes and pedal motions, then played back on computer-controlled grand pianos.

In this soaring demonstration, deaf percussionist Evelyn Glennie illustrates how listening to music involves much more than simply letting sound waves hit your eardrums.

An orchestra conductor faces the ultimate leadership challenge: creating perfect harmony without saying a word.