Sound of Music: Properties of Musical Sounds Essay

Submitted By Rawrsteven1
Words: 1169
Pages: 5
Open Document
Sounds * Begins with the vibration of an object. * Vibrations are transmitted to our ears by a medium, which usually is air. * Eardrums start vibrating, and impulses or signals, are transmitted to the brain. * Selected, organized, and interpreted.

4 Main Properties of Musical Sounds * Pitch * Dynamics (loudness or softness) * Tone color * Duration

Pitch: Highness or Lowness of Sound * Relative highness or lowness that we hear in a sound. * Pitch is determined by the frequency of its vibrations (Speed), which is measured in cycles per second. * Faster the vibration, the higher the pitch. * Slower the vibration, the lower the pitch. * Tone * Definite pitch. * Specific frequency (440 cycles per second) * Interval * The distance in pitch between any two tones * Pitch Range * The distance between the lowest and highest tones

Dynamics * Degree of loudness or softness in music * Related to the amplitude of the vibration that produces the sound. * Pianissimo –pp-Very soft * Piano –p- Soft * Mezzo Piano – mp – moderately soft * Mezzo forte –mf – moderately loud * Forte – f – Loud * Fortissimo – ff – very loud * Decrescendo: Gradually softer * Crescendo: Gradually louder * Accent: tone by playing loudly than the tones around it

Voices * Women: Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Alto * Men: Tenor, baritone, Bass.

Musical Instruments (6 Categories) * String (Guitar and violin) * Woodwind (Flute and clarinet) * Percussion (Bass drum and cymbals) * Keyboard (Organ and piano) * Electronic (Synthesizer)

Register * Part of the total range.

String Instruments * Violin, viola, cello, and double bass. * Greatest versatility and expressive range. * Pizzicato (Plucked string) * Double Stop (Two notes at once) * Vibrato * Rocking the left hand while pressing the strings down. * Mute * Musician can veil or muffle the tone by fitting a clamp onto the bridge. * Tremolo * Rapidly repeats tones by quick up-and-down strokes of the bow. This creates tension, when loud; or shimmering when lightly touch. * Harmonics * High-pitched tones, like a whistle’s are produced when a musician lightly touches a certain point on a string. * Harp * Only plucked string instrument that has gained wide acceptance in the symphony orchestra.

Woodwinds * Piccolo * Highest * Contrabassoon * Lowest * Can only produce one note at a time. * Recorder * Relative of the flute, blow through a whistle mouthpiece. * Reed * Very thin piece of cane, that is set into vibration by a stream of air. * Saxophone * An instrument used mainly in bands, has a single reed.

* Oboe, English horn, bassoon, and contrabassoon are double-reed woodwinds.
Brass Instruments * High register to low: trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba. * Trumpet and trombone are often used in jazz and rock groups. * Vibration come from the musician’s lips as he or she blows into a cup or mouthpiece. * Powerful instruments, often used at climaxes and for bold. * French Horn * Tone is less brassy, more mellow, and more rounder than the trumpet. * Tuba * Heavy tone is used to add weight to the lowest register * Trombone * Combines trumpet and mellowness of French horn.
Percussion
* Struck by hand, sticks, or hammers. * Definite and indefinite pitch. * Definite Pitch * Timpani: drums * Glockenspiel: two hammers that produce bright and silvery * Xylophone: wooden bars, struck with two hammers * Celesta: small piano, metal bars, struck by hammers * Chimes: metal tubes, sounds like church bells * Indefinite Pitch * Snare drum: side drum, vibration of snares * Bass drum: largest
Show More

Related Documents: Sound of Music: Properties of Musical Sounds Essay

Five Propositions for Exploring World Music Essay

Music 407 Chapter 1: What is world music? A Point of Departure: Five Propositions for Exploring World Music 1. The basic property of all music is SOUND * Tone – the duration (length), frequency (pitch), amplitude (loudness), timbre (quality of sound). * All sounds have the potential to be tones 2. The sounds (and silences) that comprise a musical work organized in some way * Music is a form of organized sound * Listening: CD 1:1 (Beethoven’s Symphony #9) & CD 1:2 (Japanese…

Words 1713 - Pages 7

Essay on Music Theory: Striking Harmony

concord",[4] from the verb ἁρμόζω (harmozo), "to fit together, to join".[5] The term was often used for the whole field of music, while "music" referred to the arts in general. In Ancient Greece, the term defined the combination of contrasted elements: a higher and lower note.[6] Nevertheless, it is unclear whether the simultaneous sounding of notes was part of ancient Greek musical practice; "harmonía" may have merely provided a system of classification of the relationships between different pitches…

Words 1339 - Pages 6

MUSI 1107 Notes Essay

Chapter 5: Musical Texture Types of Texture Texture refers to the interweaving of the melodic lines with harmony. The simplest texture is monophony, or a single voice. Ex- singing in the shower. Voice refers to an individual part or line, even in instrumental music. Polyphony (“many-voiced”) describes a texture in which two or more different melodic lines are combined, thus distributing melodic interest among all the parts. Ex- A group of men singing the same melody. Polyphonic texture…

Words 860 - Pages 4

Why Do We Loe Music Essay

Why Do We Love Music? What is music? There’s no end to the parade of philosophers who have wondered about this, but most of us feel confident saying: ‘I know it when I hear it.’ Still, judgments of musicality are notoriously malleable. That new club tune, obnoxious at first, might become toe-tappingly likeable after a few hearings. Put the most music-apathetic individual in a household where someone is rehearsing for a contemporary music recital and they will leave whistling Ligeti. The simple act…

Words 2586 - Pages 11

Dynamic Tones All Around You Analysis

minimalism with tribute to diverse genres of music from the 1960s. Associated, with the suppression and mute to today’s date and age, it is a tribute to both genres of music. Recipient of the 2012 Joyce Alexander Wien Prize, honored for commitment and innovation (1). It is an anticipated translation from the artist of musical elements into a physical form and mental image, offering a sense…

Words 1352 - Pages 6

Essay on Theremin Research By Sam Eisner

use electricity created by Leon Theremin to create sound- (Theremin world, what’s a Theremin, by Jason in the year 2005). Just years after the invention of the vacuum tube, Leon Theremin had invented the Theremin naming it after his last name. Lev Sergeyevich Termen was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1896.he was comparable to many inventors in his time as his lifetime stretched from 1896-1993. He was a younger and enthusiastic player of music (he played the cello) and studier of physics. After…

Words 1107 - Pages 5

Music Therapy Research Paper

Music therapy is the use of interference to achieve individual goals within a therapeutic relationship by a certified professional who has completed a music therapy program. Uses music and all of its aspects: Physical, Emotional, Mental, Social, Aesthetic, And spiritual To assist clients recover their physical and mental health. The principle of music as a restoration influence which could have an impact on health and behavior is at least as ancient as the writings of Plato and Aristotle. The…

Words 1037 - Pages 5

John Coltrane and Favorite Things Essay

expanded the parameters of their music with respect to form, melody, harmony, rhythm, and texture. They broke down traditional techniques and incorporated previously unheard scales, harmonic progressions, and compositional structures. They also brought improvisation to new levels of intensity and complexity, taking greater liberties with respect to the duration, content, and structure of solos, and delving into an unprecedented amount of group improvisation. The resulting music was given many names: free…

Words 942 - Pages 4

Analysis Of Loopmasters

Sample Boutique Royalty Free Sounds for Producers Worldwide! Use the buttons up top to navigate through this presentation. The Sample Boutique online: www.loopmasters.com About Loopmasters.com Products & Reviews Artist Series Origin Series Other Labels Discounts & Free Samples Stay Connected! Contact Terms & Conditions About Loopmasters Loopmasters are a company well known for providing only the highest quality royalty free sounds and samples to DJs, Musicians…

Words 1913 - Pages 8

Essay Effect of Music on Memory Retrieval

EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL THESIS STATEMENT: INTRODUCTION CHAPTER I. DEFINITION OF TERMS A. DICTIONARY DEFINITION B. OPERATIONAL DEFINITON II. WHAT IS MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL. III. HOW CAN MUSIC AFFECT YOUR LIFE A. THEORIES OF FORGETTING B. MEMORY AND RELATED FINDINGS C. MUSIC AND RELATED STUDIES IV. HISTORY OF MUSIC V .ADVANTAGE AND DISADVANTAGE VI. EFFECT OF MUSIC ON MEMORY RETRIEVAL IN YOUR LIFE CONCLUSIONS BIBLIOGRAPHY ALIBASHER ABUBACAR IV-C MSU-ILS…

Words 3913 - Pages 16