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Music And Sound: The Four Qualities of Sound

 MUSIC AND SOUND: The Four Qualities of Sound 


WHAT IS MUSIC?


Music can be defined as the deliberate combination and arrangement of sound and silence in a way that pleases the ear. It is important to know that this is just one of the numerous definitions of music. Since music is perceived by different people in different ways, it cannot to be tied to one definition. But for academic and theory purpose, we will stick with the above definition.


From the definition above we can see that music is not only about the sounds that we hear but how it is arranged with the silences. There's surely going to be a part in a song or a musical performance, when the singer or performer will pause to take his or her breathe, that pause is what we call 'silence'. So 'sound' combined aesthetically with 'silence' births music.


WHAT THEN IS SOUND?


Sound is the sensation produced by the organs of hearing when vibrations (sound waves) reach the ear.


QUALITIES OF SOUND


Sound has four (4) identifiable characteristics. These four variables form the basis with which composers and performers work on to ensure they get the sound they which to get from the music. Below are these qualities as defined by my music lecturer at the university.


PITCH: It is how high or low a sound is produced in relation to other sounds. If you are in pitch, then you are sounding right, you are said to be in pitch.


INTENSITY/VOLUME/DYNAMICS: This is how loud or soft a sound is produced. The strength of a musical sound is called it's intensity.


DURATION: Is how long or how short a sound is produced.


TIMBRE: Timbre is the quality of sound with respect to the body producing it. The body can be the membrane of the talking drum, the different type of instrument we play. This quality of sound is what make the same pitch sound differently in different instruments. The sound of "C5" on a grand piano (percussive instrument) would be different in tone from "C5" in a violin (stringed instrument)

It is also called the tone quality.


Any questions?


Drop them 

in the comments



Adios!





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