Sound parameters

Iván Rolón
20 abr 2023
4 Min. de lectura

Actualizado: hace 2 días

Iván Rolón

Welcome to the first class of the online piano and music theory course. Today we are talking about Sound Parameters.

This lesson includes a video and text explanation, musical examples, production and auditory identification exercises, and a guide for self-correction of the exercises.

Table of content

Sound Parameters

Excercises

Self-correction guide

Sound Parameters

Music is the art of sounds. Identifying the differences between sounds is fundamental to understanding the musical writing system and orderly arranging them in interpretation, composition, and improvisation. We call parameters the categories that are established from the differences between the sounds.

The sound parameters are:

PITCH: By its pitch, we distinguish between low and high sounds.
DURATION: By its duration, we distinguish between short and long sounds.
INTENSITY: By its intensity, we distinguish between soft and loud sounds.
TIMBRE: By its timbre, we distinguish the source that produces it.

These parameters are associated with various musical elements:

1. Pitch is related to notes. The notes are 7 and are called:

C-D-E-F-G-A-B (or Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti)

In the following audios, you can recognize pairs of sounds with differences in their pitch. Pay attention to these differences, so then you can train on production and identification exercises.

Pitch: low/high.

Pitch: high/low.

2. Duration is related to the note values. Some of them are:

Whole note - Half note - Quarter note

In the following audios, you can recognize pairs of sounds with differences in their duration. Pay attention to these differences, so then you can train on production and identification exercises.

Duration: short/long.

Duration: long/short.

3. Intensity is related to dynamics in musical writing. They are written in Italian. The basic dynamics are:

Piano (p): For sounds that are played or sung softly.
Forte (f): For sounds that are played or sung strongly.

In the following audios, you can recognize pairs of sounds with differences in their intensity. Pay attention to these differences, so then you can train on production and identification exercises.

Intensity: soft/laud.

Intensity: laud/soft.

4. Timbre is related to the musical instrument. Musical instruments are classified according to the vibrating body that produces the sound. They may be:

Strings

Bowed: The string is rubbed with a bow. For example: violin, viola, cello or double bass.(in order of register -high/low-, and size -small/large-)
Plucked: The string is pressed directly with the finger or indirectly with some device. For example: guitar, harp (directly) or harpsichord (indirectly).
Struck: The string is struck with some device. For example: piano (hammer) or clavichord (metalic tangent).

Wind

Wood: Blow instruments that are made or were originally made of wood and have holes to shorten the tube and modify the height of the sound, which are covered with the fingers or keys. For example: flute, oboe, clarinet, or bassoon.
Brass: Blow instruments that are made of metal and have valves or pistons to lengthen the tube and modify the height of the sound, but do not have holes to shorten it. For example: Trumpet, Horn, Trombone or Tuba.

Percussion

Membranophones: The sound is obtained from the percussion of a tense membrane. For example: timpani.
Idiophones: The sound is obtained from the percussion of a rigid body. For example: xylophone.

In the following videos, you can appreciate the timbre and shape of the instruments mentioned. Pay attention to both aspects so you can later identify them aurally and visually.

1. Violin (Johann Sebastian Bach: Violin Partita No. 3 in E Major, BWV 1006: I. Prelude, Violin: Sebastian Bohren)

2. Viola (Henri Vieuxtemps: Caprice for solo viola, 'Hommage à Paganini', Viola: Julia Kim)

3. Cello (Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suite No. 1 in C Major, BWV 1007: I. Prelude, Cello: Ophélie Gaillard)

4. Double Bass (Adam Ben Ezra: Can't Stop Running, Double Bass: Adam Ben Ezra)

5. Guitar (Agustín Barrios-Mangore: Prelude in C minor, Guitar: Sofija Mihailovic)

6. Harp (Claude Debussy: Clair de Lune, Harp: Héloïse de Jenlis)

7. Harpsichord (Jean-Philippe Rameau: Les Sauvage, Harpsichord: Jean Rondeau)

8. Piano (Chopin: Nocturne in E Major Op 9 No 2, Piano: Valentina Lisitsa)

9. Clavichord (Eduardo Antonello: Prelude in C Major, harpsichord: Eduardo Antonello)

10. Flute (Debussy: Syrinx for solo flute, Flute: Emmanuel Pahud)

11. Oboe (Wolfgang A. Mozart: Concerto for oboe and orchestra KV. 314, Oboe: William Welter)

12. Clarinet (Ante Grgin: Caprice for solo clarinet, Clarinet: Yulia Drukh)

13. Bassoon (Johann Sebastian Bach: Partita for solo bassoon, BWV 1013: Allemande, Bassoon: Céline Camarassa Castelló)

14. Trumpet (Mahler, Symphony No. 5 (fragment), Trumpet: Andrea Giuffredi)

15. Horn (Maxime-Alphonse: Study No. 2, Book 1, Horn: Scott Leger)

16. Trombone (Wagner: Die Walküre (fragment), Trombone: S. J. Park)

17. Tuba (Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg -fragmento-, Tuba: Melton Meinl Weston)

18. Timpani (Tom Freer: Study for Solo Timpani No. 1, Scherzo, Timpani: Leonardo Soto)

19. Xylophone (Manuel de Falla: The Brief Life, Spanish Dance, Xylophone: George Didenko)

Exercises:

1) Free improvisation

Starting with an exploration of the piano's sound parameters (duration -short/long-, pitch -low/high-, intensity -soft-loud-, and timbre -without the right pedal/with the right pedal-), record an audio of your improvisation and listen to it, observing the self-correction guidelines.

Example:

2) Aural Identification:

On which parameter is the difference between each of these pairs of sounds based (pitch, duration, or intensity)?
What is the relationship between these sounds (low/high or high/low, short/long or long/short, soft/loud or loud/soft)?

Write down your answers and correct them by consulting the solutions in the self-correction guides.