Timbre

In music, timbre (French, IPA /'tæmb?r/ as in the first two syllables of tambourine) is the quality of a musical note or sound which distinguishes different types of sound production or musical instruments. The physical characteristics of sound which are used in the determination of timbre are spectrum and envelope with psychoacoustics or human perception also determining the perceived quality of a sound. Timbre is what, with a little practice, people use to pick out the saxophone from the trumpet in a jazz group or the flute from the violin in an orchestra, even if they are playing notes at the same pitch and amplitude (or notes which are otherwise equal). Timbre has been called the psychoacoustician's waste-basket as it can include so many factors.

Spectra

Each note produced by a musical instrument is made of a number of distinct frequencies, measured in hertz (Hz). The lowest frequency is called the fundamental and the pitch produced by this frequency is used to name the note. For example, in western music, instruments are normally tuned to A = 440 Hz.

Related Topics:
Note - Frequencies - Hertz - Fundamental - Pitch

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However, the richness of the sound is produced by the combination of this fundamental with a series of harmonics and/or partials (also collectively called overtones). Most western instruments produce harmonic sounds, and these can be calculated by multiplying the fundamental by an increasing series of numbers - x2, x3, x4, etc (whole number multiples). However many instruments produce inharmonic tones, and may contain overtones which are not whole number multiples, these being the partials.

Related Topics:
Harmonic - Partial - Overtone - Whole number - Inharmonic

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Therefore, when the orchestral tuning note is played, the sound is a combination of 440 Hz, 880 Hz, 1320 Hz, 1760 Hz and so on. The balance of the amplitudes of the different frequencies is responsible for giving each instrument its characteristic sound, which is exploited by FM synthesis.

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William Sethares (2004) wrote that just intonation and the western equal tempered scale are derived from the harmonic spectra/timbre of most western instruments. Similarly the specific inharmonic timbre of Thai metallophones would produce the seven tone near equal temperament they do indeed employ, and the five note sometimes near equal tempered slendro scale provides the most consonance in the combination of the inharmonic spectra of Balinese metallophones with harmonic instruments such as the stringed rebab.

Related Topics:
Just intonation - Equal tempered - Scale - Spectra - Thai - Metallophone - Slendro - Bali - Rebab

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