Timbre
N.B. Many audio and video examples of individual instruments and combinations of instruments can be found on juniorcertmusica.weebly.com
Timbre means tone quality. It’s how we distinguish each instrument/voice from each other. They all have their own individual tone quality or timbre. The first thing you should observe when listening to a piece of music is the instruments/voices.
Voices
The voice is the most original instrument. Generally we speak of voices as being, Soprano (high female or young boys), Alto (low female), Tenor (high male), and Bass (low male). Other classifications include Baritone (male- between Tenor and Bass), Mezzo Soprano (low soprano) and Contralto (low alto).
These terms are slightly less important in Popular music. Style of singing is more important here. Words that might describe style of singing include, gentle-mellow-ballad like, or harsh-“throaty”-rock like. Note; the different singing styles in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Instruments
Instruments are the staring point in analysing the style of a piece of music.
The Orchestra
The instruments of the orchestra are divided into 4 sections, Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, and Strings. Each section is like a “choir of instruments”, i.e. there is a soprano, alto, tenor and bass instrument. When a full section is playing, all ranges of pitch can be covered.
Woodwind Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon
Brass Trumpet French Horn Trombone Tuba
Percussion Tuned/Pitched Un-tuned/un-pitched
Strings Violin Viola Cello Double Bass
Size of Orchestra
The chamber group was the forerunner of what eventually became known as the orchestra. Chamber (room) groups consist of a small number of players, usually between 2-24. The most common are the string quartet, (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola and Cello), and the wind Quintet (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon). However, there are many possibilities. During the Baroque era, orchestras were small, usually consisting of strings and some woodwind and harpsichord..
Note: Examine the size of the orchestra of the Bach Cantata as an example of the Baroque orchestra.
In the Classical era, the orchestra gradually became bigger, the quality and flexibility of instruments improved, and new instruments like the Piano and the Clarinet were invented.The orchestra of the Romantic era became huge, (often above 60) and featured Brass and percussion. Note: Compare Tchaikovsky’s orchestra to Bach’s for size and variety of instruments.
Transposing Instruments.
A transposing instrument is one where the note that is read is different from the actual sound being made by the instrument. E.G. If you play a C on a Bb clarinet, the actual sound being made is a Bb!
Percussion
Any instrument that is struck is a percussion instrument. They can be divided into 2 categories, Pitched and un-pitched
Pitched Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone, Piano!!!, Glockenspiel, Celeste, Tubular Bells, Timpani
Un-Pitched Snare Drum, Bass drum, Tom Toms, Cymbals, Tambourine, Triangle
Instrumental Techniques
An instrumental technique is something that is carried out physically on an instrument eg. Strumming of a guitar, bowing of a violin etc. There’s a long list of instrumental techniques that you need to become familiar with. This is a very common L.C. question. Sometimes there is an overlap between Timbre and other characteristics of music.e.g. We’ve come across broken chords and block chords in Texture. But they are also relevant here as only certain instruments can play them, therefore they are instrumental techniques.
Bending strings on aguitar
Strumming
Glissando (slide) on any instrument
Drum rolls
Flam (drum) a type of double stroke
Drum “fill”
Vibrato
Double stops, play two strings at the same time.
Arco, bowed
Pizzicato, plucked
Pedal on a piano
Senza vibrato –without vibrato
Détaché –detached
Clusters – many notes played by the hand and / or arm on the piano
Drones – open strings, double stops
Flautando –literally like a flute – to bow near the finger board with the point of the bow.
Harmonics – thin sound obtained by isolating individual overtones of the fundamental note.
Tradtitional Instruments
There are various categories of instruments used in Traditional Irish music. An ability to hear which instrument is playing melody and which is playing accompaniment is essential in Trad.
“Traditional” melodic instruments. Whistle, Flute, Harp, Fiddle, Uilleann Pipes, Accordion
"Modern" melodic instruments. Banjo, Bouzouki, Guitar, Piano, Saxophone, Orchestral instruments, anything really.
Accompanying instruments. Piano, Guitar, Keyboard, Bodhrán, Bones, spoons, Drum kit, Bouziki, Orchestral instruments, Djembe, Bongos, Congas etc
Pop/rock
A typical Rock/Pop set up includes, Drum kit, Bass Guitar, Rhythm guitar and keyboards. Obviously every band has its own line up but the above is very common. Increasingly, many electronic sounds are used today. These can be described as synthesized (synthesizer) or just electronic instruments.
Jazz
Again, anything is possible here, but often, Drum Kit, Bass, Guitar or Piano, Saxophone, and/or Trumpet make the Jazz sound. A “Big Band” consists of “rhythm section” and“choirs” of Brass instruments usually numbering somewhere between 12 and 24.
Voices
The voice is the most original instrument. Generally we speak of voices as being, Soprano (high female or young boys), Alto (low female), Tenor (high male), and Bass (low male). Other classifications include Baritone (male- between Tenor and Bass), Mezzo Soprano (low soprano) and Contralto (low alto).
These terms are slightly less important in Popular music. Style of singing is more important here. Words that might describe style of singing include, gentle-mellow-ballad like, or harsh-“throaty”-rock like. Note; the different singing styles in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Instruments
Instruments are the staring point in analysing the style of a piece of music.
The Orchestra
The instruments of the orchestra are divided into 4 sections, Woodwind, Brass, Percussion, and Strings. Each section is like a “choir of instruments”, i.e. there is a soprano, alto, tenor and bass instrument. When a full section is playing, all ranges of pitch can be covered.
Woodwind Flute Oboe Clarinet Bassoon
Brass Trumpet French Horn Trombone Tuba
Percussion Tuned/Pitched Un-tuned/un-pitched
Strings Violin Viola Cello Double Bass
Size of Orchestra
The chamber group was the forerunner of what eventually became known as the orchestra. Chamber (room) groups consist of a small number of players, usually between 2-24. The most common are the string quartet, (Violin 1, Violin 2, Viola and Cello), and the wind Quintet (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, French Horn and Bassoon). However, there are many possibilities. During the Baroque era, orchestras were small, usually consisting of strings and some woodwind and harpsichord..
Note: Examine the size of the orchestra of the Bach Cantata as an example of the Baroque orchestra.
In the Classical era, the orchestra gradually became bigger, the quality and flexibility of instruments improved, and new instruments like the Piano and the Clarinet were invented.The orchestra of the Romantic era became huge, (often above 60) and featured Brass and percussion. Note: Compare Tchaikovsky’s orchestra to Bach’s for size and variety of instruments.
Transposing Instruments.
A transposing instrument is one where the note that is read is different from the actual sound being made by the instrument. E.G. If you play a C on a Bb clarinet, the actual sound being made is a Bb!
Percussion
Any instrument that is struck is a percussion instrument. They can be divided into 2 categories, Pitched and un-pitched
Pitched Xylophone, Marimba, Vibraphone, Piano!!!, Glockenspiel, Celeste, Tubular Bells, Timpani
Un-Pitched Snare Drum, Bass drum, Tom Toms, Cymbals, Tambourine, Triangle
Instrumental Techniques
An instrumental technique is something that is carried out physically on an instrument eg. Strumming of a guitar, bowing of a violin etc. There’s a long list of instrumental techniques that you need to become familiar with. This is a very common L.C. question. Sometimes there is an overlap between Timbre and other characteristics of music.e.g. We’ve come across broken chords and block chords in Texture. But they are also relevant here as only certain instruments can play them, therefore they are instrumental techniques.
Bending strings on aguitar
Strumming
Glissando (slide) on any instrument
Drum rolls
Flam (drum) a type of double stroke
Drum “fill”
Vibrato
Double stops, play two strings at the same time.
Arco, bowed
Pizzicato, plucked
Pedal on a piano
Senza vibrato –without vibrato
Détaché –detached
Clusters – many notes played by the hand and / or arm on the piano
Drones – open strings, double stops
Flautando –literally like a flute – to bow near the finger board with the point of the bow.
Harmonics – thin sound obtained by isolating individual overtones of the fundamental note.
Tradtitional Instruments
There are various categories of instruments used in Traditional Irish music. An ability to hear which instrument is playing melody and which is playing accompaniment is essential in Trad.
“Traditional” melodic instruments. Whistle, Flute, Harp, Fiddle, Uilleann Pipes, Accordion
"Modern" melodic instruments. Banjo, Bouzouki, Guitar, Piano, Saxophone, Orchestral instruments, anything really.
Accompanying instruments. Piano, Guitar, Keyboard, Bodhrán, Bones, spoons, Drum kit, Bouziki, Orchestral instruments, Djembe, Bongos, Congas etc
Pop/rock
A typical Rock/Pop set up includes, Drum kit, Bass Guitar, Rhythm guitar and keyboards. Obviously every band has its own line up but the above is very common. Increasingly, many electronic sounds are used today. These can be described as synthesized (synthesizer) or just electronic instruments.
Jazz
Again, anything is possible here, but often, Drum Kit, Bass, Guitar or Piano, Saxophone, and/or Trumpet make the Jazz sound. A “Big Band” consists of “rhythm section” and“choirs” of Brass instruments usually numbering somewhere between 12 and 24.