Lets talk about the three elements of sound

The three elements of sound, namely pitch, loudness and timbre, are important concepts to describe the characteristics of sound.

1. Tone

definition

Pitch refers to the pitch of the sound, which is mainly determined by the frequency at which the emitter vibrates. The higher the frequency, the higher the pitch; The lower the frequency, the lower the pitch.

Influencing factors

For stringed instruments, such as the violin, the shorter, thinner, and tighter the strings, the higher the frequency of vibration and the higher the tone produced. For example, when playing a violin, the player changes the pitch by pressing different strings (varying string lengths) and using different fingerings (fine-tuning the length of the vibrating part of the string).

In vocal music, girls' voices are usually more pitched than boys, because girls' vocal cords vibrate at a higher frequency than boys.

2. Loudness

definition

Loudness, also known as volume, refers to the strength of the sound, which is mainly determined by the amplitude of the vibration of the emitter. The greater the amplitude, the greater the loudness; The lower the amplitude, the less loudness. At the same time, the loudness is also related to the distance from the emitter, and the closer to the emitter, the louder the sound heard. The farther away from the emitter, the less loud the sound will be.

Influencing factors

Taking a drum as an example, the more force you use when you hit the drum, the greater the amplitude of the vibration of the drum surface and the louder the sound will be.

In daily life, the loudness of the music we hear when we are close to the speaker is loud, and the loudness of the sound is low when we are far away from the speaker.

3. Timbre

definition

Timbre is also called sound product, which refers to the characteristics of the sound, and the timbre of the sound is different due to the different materials and structures of different sound emitters.

Influencing factors

We can distinguish different instruments even if they play notes of the same frequency and loudness because they have different timbres. For example, the piano and violin play the same note, and the sound of the piano is rich and deep, while the sound of the violin is bright and melodious, and this is the difference in their timbre.

The human voice also has a unique timbre, and we can identify different people speaking or singing by their timbre.

The trio of sound have a wide range of applications in acoustics, music, audio engineering, and many other fields, and understanding them can help us better understand sound phenomena, appreciate music, and perform related technical operations.