Introduction to Timbre

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Introduction to Timbre

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Timbre helps us identify different sound sources (such as musical instruments). Listen to two instruments playing the same note: the timbre of a clarinet is different from the timbre of a cello; they are each playing the same pitch (the note just below middle C on a piano), but they sound different.

From a personal perspective, we can also recognize friends, family, and other people we know by the unique timbre of their voices.

An instrument and or voice can produce a wide range of different qualities of sounds, or timbres—for example, a cello played with a bow sounds different than a cello plucked with a finger.

With such a wide variety of qualities, what are some ways we can describe timbre? Below are words used by experts to introduce, to talk about, and to describe timbre:

Source: Music Perception and Cognition Lab, McGill University, December 2nd, 2021