1.2 Pitch, Dynamics, and Tone Color

frequency

the rate of sound vibration

low sounds have...

low frequency

pitch

the quality of sound, such as high or low

t/f: noises have pitch

false, they're too complex

t/f: choruses have pitch

true

amplitude

the level of strength (amount of energy) of sound vibrations

dynamics

the level of sound of music

language for dynamics terms

Italian

pianissimo (pp)

very soft volume

piano (p)

soft volume

mezzo piano (mp)

medium soft volume

mezzo forte (mf)

medium loud volume

forte (f)

loud volume

fortissimo (ff)

very loud volume

subito

sudden change in dynamics

crescendo

rise in volume

decrescendo

decrease in volume

diminuendo

decrease (diminish) in volume

tone color/timbre

general overall individual quality of sound

overtones

fractional vibrations that define tone color