Scientists now know that musical notes are made up of much smaller particles, the distribution of which determine the particular genre of music. Below is an example of the kind of note that is commonly found in many classic Motown and early soul records. As you can see, it has been greatly enlarged so that you can identify the individual elements that go to make up its overall structure.
This, of course, is only an illustration. In practice, it is impossible to know both the position and velocities of individual musical units, due to something called the 'Hendrix Uncertainty Principle'. This usually only operates on a sub-atomic scale and does not influence our everyday experience of full scale concerts. That said, there are a growing number of musicologists who believe that it could explain why some gigs are cancelled without notice, and venues are changed at the last minute.
This note appears by kind permission of Atlantic Records.
