Music is an art - and a science. Here are some music and sound related terms for those who are afraid to ask.

Acoustics
The science of sound including its reproduction, transmission, and effects.

Acoustics Effect
The effect of the surrounding environment on the sound.

Acoustics Treatment
The application of a material to the surface of an enclosure to modify the acoustics.

Dead Acoustics
A room where there is very little reverberation.

Cycle
One complete sequence of a variation, which occurs in a periodic manner.

Hertz
Unit of frequency; one hertz is equal to one cycle per second.

Two years ago Arooj Aftab was a middle-class Pakistani teenager living her life according to plan: She was working studiously under the watchful gaze of her parents to finish a two-year advanced-level degree in math and economics, and planning a sensible career in accounting.

At the same time, Aftab was pursuing an interest that was not at all part of the well-established cultural framework. She was teaching herself to play the guitar. As if this weren’t radical enough, Aftab began writing her own songs. Forbidden by her father to enter a professional recording studio, Aftab did what any self-respecting Muslim girl determined to liberate herself from thousands of years of gender inequality would do: She learned how to use computer software to record and mix her own music.

The latest wave of pop music has swept the city’s young off their feet and the sale of musical instruments, especially guitars, has risen sharply, indicated a Daily Times survey. The city’s leading instrument shops, which previously sold between 50 and 60 guitars a month, have registered a five-fold increase with sales touching 250 a month.

Music World, a shop in the heart of Tibbi City, frequented by the likes of Mehdi Hassan, Aziz Mian Qawal, Atta Ullah and Ustad Fateh Ali, has seen business pick up dramatically. Its owner, Zubair Mohammad, said that due to its location they previously only managed to sell between 20 and 30 guitars every month. However, he said that even their business had kicked off over recent years because of new channels promoting bands and singers, which impressed youngsters into buying guitars.