New Books in Popular Culture Richard Mainwaring, "What the Ear Hears (And Doesn't): Inside the Extraordinary Everyday World of Frequency" (Sourcebooks, 2022)
Aug 14, 2025
Richard Mainwaring, a musician, composer, and educator, delves into the fascinating world of frequency in everyday life. He shares quirky stories, including the skaking of a South Korean skyscraper due to a Tae Bo class. The discussion ranges from the sound perceptions of animals, like the 'loneliest whale,' to how specific sound frequencies can enhance plant growth. Mainwaring also explores the links between sound and sensory experiences, highlighting the relationship between music and the science of smell. It's a captivating journey through sound's impact on our lives.
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Infinite Piano Makes Frequency Intuitive
- The Infinite Piano visualizes frequency as a continuous keyboard extending beyond human hearing limits.
- Richard Mainwaring uses it to make waves, pitch and hearing intuitively accessible to non-scientists.
Book Sparked From A Classroom Metaphor
- Mainwaring began the book after explaining frequency to students using the Infinite Piano metaphor.
- A literary agent liked the idea and the project turned into his first book on frequency.
Human Hearing Range Mapped To Music
- Young human hearing roughly spans 20 Hz to 20,000 Hz and narrows with age.
- Mainwaring maps familiar musical notes to hertz to help readers imagine absolute frequencies.
