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To help you understand instruments
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Understanding Instruments Instruments and voices are the media
with which music is created
A pitch is produced when a mediumvibrates at a given frequency
The medium also determines a pitchstimbre, or quality of sound
Timbre - Quality of Sound Timbre is hard to pin down and describe
A medium can be modified to createdifferent timbres
Preferred timbres are a culturalconsideration
Kinds of Media Instrument classification systems vary
culturally
Classification systems are based on localneeds and musical systems
Ancient Ba Yin 8 SoundsSystem Systematic classification of instruments devised
by Zhou dynasty (c.1000-200 B.C.E)
Instruments grouped according to the naturalsound producing material
8 Sounds: metal, stone, skin, vegetable gourd, bamboo,wood, silk, earth
Associations manifested a link between music and natureimportant for Confucian ritual
Indian System Provides a constant, systematic criteria
for classification:
Primary sound-producing medium determinesin which group an instrument is placed
Vibrating body, vibrating membrane, vibratingstring, vibrating column of air
Sachs-Hornbostel System 20th C. European ethnomusicologists adopted
ancient Indian system as a scientific means ofclassifying exotic instruments Curt Sachs and Erich von Hornbostel
Four major categories: Idiophones Membranophones Chordophones Aerophones
Idiophones An instrument whose
body vibrates toproduce sound is anidiophone
Ex: bells, shakers,gongs, xylophones, wood blocks
Can be plucked,struck, or shaken
Membranophones Membranophones
have a vibratingmembrane, or skin,stretched over aframe
Differences based onbody shape, number of heads, and method ofstriking
Aerophones Aerophones
produce soundthrough the directvibration of a columnof air
Flutes, reeds, andtrumpets
Chordophones Chordophones
produce sound viaone or more stringsstretched betweentwo points
Lutes, zithers, lyres,and harps
Local Systems Musicians devise systems that fulfill local
needs or reflect local ensembles, tuningsystems, etc.
Java: instruments grouped into loud and softplaying
Igbo (W. Africa): popularity/relative importance W.European: based on orchestra sections
(strings, brass, winds, percussion)
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