Sound Quality

Pitch Online Tone Generator Pitch is related mainly, although not completely, to the frequency of the sound Pitch is not a physical property of the sound – it’s how your body interprets what you hear Frequency is the stimulus and pitch is the response It is a psychological reaction that allows humans to place the sound on a scale

Timbre In music, the characteristic sound of any instrument is referred to as the quality of sound, or the timbre, of the sound The quality depends on the mixture of frequency harmonics in the sound

Quality of Sound – Tuning Fork A tuning fork produces only one frequency, so it’s a simple sound wave.

Quality of Sound – Flute The same note played on a flute sounds differently In addition to the frequency of the note being played, the instrument also produces additional frequencies (the harmonics) This results in a more complex wave shape This pattern of frequencies is the timbre of the instrument

Quality of Sound – Clarinet The same note on a clarinet produces a different set of frequencies. Again, the sound wave is more complex Even though all three play the same frequency of note, the resulting sounds are different

Quality of sound Whatever produces the sound will have its own characteristic set of frequencies and its own unique timbre That’s why different instruments sound different playing the same notes