Contents
What is Timbre?
Music isn’t merely a composition of pitches and volumes. The depth and richness of music stem from various underlying musical elements hidden beneath. Among them, ‘timbre’ plays a pivotal role. Timbre is the sonic quality that allows us to distinguish between different instruments or voices even when they produce the same pitch at the same volume. This explains why a guitar sounds different from a piano, or why a trumpet is distinct from a saxophone.
Fundamentals and Harmonics
So, how is timbre formed? The answer lies in ‘fundamentals’ and ‘harmonics.’ The fundamental, or the ‘base tone,’ is the most basic component of sound or music, characterized by the lowest frequency. This frequency is primarily what determines the pitch. The frequencies that emerge by multiplying the fundamental by whole numbers are termed ‘harmonics’. This diverse structure of harmonics plays a crucial role in determining the timbre.
Although the concept of harmonics might seem straightforward, in reality, their distribution and composition vary slightly across different instruments or voices. For instance, in an instrument producing a C4 note with a fundamental frequency of 261.63Hz, its harmonics appear at frequencies that are double, triple, quadruple, etc., of this value. Thus, the second harmonic would be at 523.25Hz, and the third at 784.88Hz. However, the key point is that not all instruments or voices produce these harmonics with the same intensity. Some harmonics can be dominant, others might be faint, and some might barely be audible at all.
What is inharmonics?
Inharmonics, also known as ‘non-harmonics,’ refer to frequency components in sound or music that don’t correspond to integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. While most instruments or sounds are composed of the fundamental and its harmonics, sounds like percussion instruments, which don’t have a clear pitch, derive their timbre from inharmonics.
Inharmonics add unique characteristics to the sound’s timbre. While harmonics play a crucial role in creating harmony and depth in music, inharmonics introduce more complex and rich nuances to the sound or music. Sounds containing inharmonics can often have a richer or more distinctive timbre.
Harmonics? Overtones?
Many places often confuse the concepts of overtones and harmonics. The distinction is quite simple. An overtone refers to all the harmonics excluding the fundamental frequency. Therefore, the 1st overtone corresponds to the 2nd harmonic, and the 2nd overtone corresponds to the 3rd harmonic. By definition, a harmonic is a frequency produced by multiplying the fundamental frequency by an integer. Hence, the fundamental frequency is also considered the 1st harmonic.
Timbre Influenced by Envelope
The distribution and intensity of these harmonics are influenced by the sound’s ‘envelope.’ The envelope represents how a sound begins, maintains, and ends, illustrated by the ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) structure.
For instance, when a piano and a cello play the same note, the difference in the sound we hear results from the distribution and intensity of harmonics and the varying envelopes of each instrument. A piano, with its hammer striking the strings, has an aggressive onset (Attack) and rapid attenuation (Decay, Release). In contrast, a cello produces sound by bowing its strings, leading to a gentler start and a slowly fading sound.
Timbre Influenced by Physical Characteristics
Furthermore, the physical and structural attributes of instruments or voices significantly affect timbre. It’s evident since the harmonic structure and envelope characteristics can drastically change depending on the material or structure. For example, a trumpet made of brass typically has a brighter and more intense timbre compared to a clarinet made of wood. Similarly, individual voices possess distinct timbres based on the unique structure, size, and shape of the throat.