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The shape and materials of the instrument does affect the tone of the instrument, but the main reason instruments have a unique tone has to do with the harmonic partials associated with that instrument. For example, when you pluck a string on the guitar, you will primarily hear what is called the fundamental. The fundamental is the main vibration that is happening. If you listen very closely to the sound, you will also hear that there are other vibrations happening at the same time.
Stringed instruments, however sound quite different for many reasons. What you hear depends solely on how and of what the string is made, how the string is vibrating, how long it vibrates for and how long you can actually hear it vibrate. Depending greatly on the shape of the instrument and the actual source of the sound the sound will also vary. Whether it be a string, vibrating lips, a thin piece of wood kind of instrument.
Again, the sound of many musical instruments is the result of vibrations. This resonates within a column of air. Air column resonance is quite the topic of study in the field of physics. Generally, speaking there are two basic types of air columns. One being referred to as “Closed end air columns” and the other as “Open end air columns”. The difference depends on whether or not, one or both ends of the column are open to the surrounding atmosphere. Any column of air has a set of frequencies at which the air particles will naturally vibrate. These frequencies are an example of harmonics; their value is dependent upon the length of the air column.
When a specific note is being played on a musical instrument, the air particles immediately begin to vibrate uncontrollably with a set of many frequencies. These frequencies combine to produce the sound that we hear.
Stringed instruments, however sound quite different for many reasons. What you hear depends solely on how and of what the string is made, how the string is vibrating, how long it vibrates for and how long you can actually hear it vibrate. Depending greatly on the shape of the instrument and the actual source of the sound the sound will also vary. Whether it be a string, vibrating lips, a thin piece of wood kind of instrument.
Again, the sound of many musical instruments is the result of vibrations. This resonates within a column of air. Air column resonance is quite the topic of study in the field of physics. Generally, speaking there are two basic types of air columns. One being referred to as “Closed end air columns” and the other as “Open end air columns”. The difference depends on whether or not, one or both ends of the column are open to the surrounding atmosphere. Any column of air has a set of frequencies at which the air particles will naturally vibrate. These frequencies are an example of harmonics; their value is dependent upon the length of the air column.
When a specific note is being played on a musical instrument, the air particles immediately begin to vibrate uncontrollably with a set of many frequencies. These frequencies combine to produce the sound that we hear.