Music: Timbre

Timbre

The combination of the qualities of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume. It is the tone color or quality of sound. It is what makes musical sounds different from one another even when they have the same pitch or loudness.

Musical instruments

Devices created or adapted to make musical sounds. Each type of this has a characteristic sound quality that is largely independent of pitch or loudness.

Violin

Smallest and most numerous; has the highest sound

Viola

Little bigger than volin; has slightly deeper and mellower tone

Cello

Much bigger than viola and violin; has much lower and deeper sound

Bass/double bass/standing bass/string bass

Very low-sounded instrument

Flute

Has a clear, high sound that can either be gentle or piercing

Clarinet

Versatile instrument with a very wide range of notes from low to high

Bassoon

Largest and lowest-sounding standard orchestral woodwind.

French horn

Referred to as “horn” by orchestral players

Tuba

Largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family

Trombone

Usual range one octave lower than that of trumpet

Timpani

Large kettledrums with rounded bottom that can be turned to play specific pitches

Cymbals

Can be clashed together, hit with a boater, or slapped together

Gongs

Thicker than cymbals and are usually hit with a soft beater

Xylophones and marimbas

Wooden bars arranged over hollow tubes that help amplify their sounds

Glockenspiel

Uses metal bars, like a children’s xylophone

Sound

The movement or continuous vibration of solids, liquids, or air due to pressure. Its four properties are pitch, timbre, duration, and volume.

Pitch

The frequency of a sound as perceived by human ear

Loudness

A physiological sensation.