UNIT 3
Acoustics,
Instruments,
& Voices
ACOUSTICS - WHAT IS IT?
• Acoustics is the
science of sound.
PROPERTIES OF ACOUSTICS
•
All sound is caused by vibration (air that is set in
motion).
• Sound is measured in vibrations per second (VPS)
(also referred to as its frequency)
PROPERTIES OF ACOUSTICS
• Human hearing can hear from
roughly 20 - 20,000 vps.
• Sound waves push sound from
the source to your ear.
Frequency = pitch (# of vps)
Amplitude = volume (height of wave)
Can you hear me now?
ACOUSTIC LAWS OF TUBES
The following laws apply specifically to brass and woodwind
instruments:
I.
The longer the tube is, the lower the pitch. (piccolo)
II.
The wider the tube (the girth) is, the lower the pitch.
(tuba)
ACOUSTIC LAWS OF STRINGS
The longer the string is, the lower the pitch.
The thicker the string is, the lower the pitch.
The tighter the string is, the higher the pitch.
(tuning strings)
ACOUSTIC LAWS OF
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
• The tighter the drum head is, the higher the pitch or sound
produced.
• The larger the drum is, the lower the sound/pitch produced.
• Example – Timpani
• Example – Snare drum
THE HUMAN VOICE
THE HUMAN VOICE
• When classifying voice types we first separate individuals
according to gender.
• Women are typically assigned to higher voice parts
whereas men are assigned lower pitched voice parts, due
to vocal capabilities.
THE HUMAN VOICE
Voices are separated into 4 categories based on pitch
range – SATB:
•Soprano (highest female)
•Alto (lowest female)
•Tenor (highest male)
•Bass (lowest male)
WOMENS VOICE TYPES
Soprano
• Mezzo (medium)
• Coloratura (very high)
Alto
• (aka Contralto)
MENS VOICE TYPES
Tenor (higher voice)
Baritone (very limited
voice range)
Bass (lower voice)
KEYBOARD INSTRUMENTS
HARPSICHORD
• Early ancestor of the piano.
• After pressing a key, a mechanism inside would pluck a
string to produce a note.
• Extremely popular from the 16 th-18th century.
• Typically used in the orchestra.
• Had two keyboards as well as multiple foot pedals.
Listen to the Harpsichord!
CELESTA
• Invented in 1886.
• Treated more as a percussion instrument.
• Unlike the piano and harpsichord, metal bars were placed
inside. When pressing a key a bar was struck with a
hammer to produce a note.
About the Celesta
PIANO
• Invented in the early 18th century.
• Replaced the harpsichord.
• Inside, strings are struck with a hammer to produce
notes when a key is pressed.
• Has a large range of notes and is capable of playing at
different dynamic levels unlike its predecessors.
Listen to the
Piano!
Listen to some MORE
piano…
PIPE ORGAN
• Although it contains a keyboard, it is also a wind
instrument.
• Common in churches.
• Electronic organs also exist which imitate the timbre of
the pipe organ.
A little bit about the Pipe Organ…
INSTRUMENTS OF THE ORCHESTRA
STRING INSTRUMENTS
String instruments are typically played using a bow (arco).
•Legato bowing – connects sound smoothly.
•Staccato bowing – sounds are short, separated.
•Tremolo – Bow is moved back and forth rapidly on a string.
You may also play string instruments without using the bow.
•Pizzicato – String is plucked with a finger, not bowed.
Let’s watch a demonstration…
STRING INSTRUMENTS OF THE
MODERN ORCHESTRA
• Violin (Soprano)
• example
• Viola (Alto)
• example
• Cello (Tenor)
• example
• Bass (Bass)
• example
• Harp
• example
BRASS INSTRUMENTS
BRASS INSTRUMENTS
• Members of this family are constructed of metal and brass.
• Brass is used because of its strength and the ease with which
it can be manipulated.
• Sound is produced using a metal mouthpiece. Players must
buzz their lips. This vibration causes the sound.
• Brass instruments use valves to change their pitch. Each
valve increases the length of tubing that air travels through,
thus it causes the pitch to drop. Here’s how valves work!
• The only member of this family that does not use valves is the
trombone. Instead, it uses the slide to change pitch.
BRASS INSTRUMENTS
In this family there is a member for each pitch range.
• Trumpet (Soprano)
• French Horn (Alto)
• Trombone (Tenor)
• Tuba (Bass)
WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS
THE WOODWIND FAMILY
All woodwind instruments use keys to change their pitch.
These keys cover tiny holes in the instruments when they are
pressed.
The family is divided into 3 groups.
• No Reed
• Single Reed
• Double Reed
WOODWINDS: NO REEDS
• Flute (video) & Piccolo (video) (soprano)
• These instruments use the edge blown method of sound
production.
• Instrumentalists blow a column of air over a hole in the
instrument to get a sound. This is similar to blowing
across an empty bottle.
WOODWINDS: SINGLE REED
• Clarinet (A) (video)
• Bass Clarinet (B) (video)
Instrumentalists blow into
the mouthpiece which
causes the reed to vibrate,
producing a sound.
• Saxophones (SATB) (video)
• Reed – A thin piece of reed cane that is attached to the
instruments mouthpiece.
WOODWINDS: DOUBLE REED
When the instrumentalist blows air through the two reeds
they vibrate against each other and produce a sound.
The double reed causes these instruments to have a tight,
or nasal, timbre.
• Oboe (Alto) (video)
• Bassoon (Tenor) (video)
• Contrabassoon (Bass) (video)
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS
All percussion instruments produce their sound by being hit
(struck) or shaken.
Percussion instruments are divided into TWO categories
based on the type of sound they produce.
PITCHED PERCUSSION
These instruments can produce actual pitch just like a brass,
woodwind or keyboard instrument.
•
•
•
•
•
Timpani (video)
Xylophone (video)
Piano
Chimes (video)
Bells
These instruments read standard notation (staff, notes, etc.)
UNPITCHED PERCUSSION
These percussion instruments produce sounds, not pitches.
Since these instruments do not produce pitch, they do not
use regular notation (rhythm staff instead of standard).
•
•
•
•
Snare drum (video)
Bass drum (video)
Cymbals (video)
Tam-tam/Gong (video)
ENSEMBLES
• Voices and instruments can be combined into
numerous ensembles.
• There are traditional combinations with which you
should be familiar.
VOCAL ENSEMBLES
• Voices can be combined into a variety of choral ensembles.
• Sometimes choral music is performed acappella, other
times it is accompanied by any number of instruments.
• A full chorus would use all four voice ranges, and therefore
be notated SATB. (video)
• A women’s chorus would use only S and A voices (SSAA).
(video)
• A men’s chorus would use only T and B voices (TTBB).
(video)
CHAMBER ENSEMBLES
• A chamber ensemble usually consists of a very small number
of instruments or voices (10 or less).
• String Quartet – 2 violins, 1 viola, 1 cello.
• Vitamin String Quartet
• Classical String Quartet
• Duos, trios, quartets (variety of instruments)
• Brass quintet example
• Woodwind quartet example
• Piano trio example
• Chamber ensembles can perform any type of music they wish.
ORCHESTRA
• The birth of the orchestra took place during the baroque period
(1600-1750).
• The modern orchestra is based on the composition of the
Romantic orchestra.
• The overall size of the ensemble can vary according to the
composers desires.
• Orchestras played an important role in accompanying ballets
and operas.
Example of a STRING orchestra
ORCHESTRA
Example of a SYMPHONY orchestra
• STRINGS are dominant:
• Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, Harp
• Woodwinds:
• Flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon
• Brass:
• Trumpet, French horn, trombone, tuba
• Various percussion (most notably timpani)
BAND
• Developed out of the military bands. It performs music for its
own sake rather than for operas and ballets.
• Unlike orchestras and choruses, there was no serious
repertoire until the 20th century.
• Typically made up of members from the brass, woodwind and
percussion families. Limited strings may be added on
occasion.
BAND
• There are various types of bands, each specializing in
a specific genre of band music.
• Marching Band (video)
• Concert Band (video)
• Symphonic Band
• Wind Ensemble