Musical sound properties
The subjective features of human perception of sound make it possible to single out the following properties of musical sound:
Height (meaning sound) - depends on the vibration frequency;
Timbre - depends on the shape of the sound wave;
Volume - depends on the amplitude of the sound wave;
In addition, the duration of the sound is also referred to the properties of the musical sound.
Sound pitch
In music, sounds with a certain pitch are distinguished (sounds of the overwhelming majority of musical instruments, as well as singing) and sounds with an indefinite pitch (sounds of a number of percussion instruments, such as drums, cymbals, some electronic sounds, etc.).
From the point of view of acoustics, sounds with a certain pitch are characterized by the frequency of acoustic vibrations, the presence of clearly defined peaks in the spectrogram - the fundamental tone and harmonious overtones. Sounds with an indefinite sound frequency are characterized by non-periodic oscillations and the absence of clearly defined peaks in the spectrogram. A special place is occupied by the so-called. multi-background sounds that are characterized by the presence of a fundamental tone and strong inharmonious overtones, which provide such sounds with a specific quality.
Despite the fact that the range of frequencies that a person is able to sense by ear extends from 20 Hz to 18 kHz (according to some sources, from 16 Hz to 20,000 Hz). In musical practice, only tones with a frequency from 27 Hz (less often from 22 Hz) to 4 kHz are used, which is explained by the fact that the interval component of musical sound is perceived only within these boundaries. The entire frequency range is divided into octaves. In turn, within the octave, musical sounds are organized into a musical system. For European musical practice, the characteristic division of the octave into 12 equal semitones.
Sound timbre
Sound timbre (English timbre, French timbre, from German Klangfarbe) - color, character of sound. From the acoustics point of view, the timbre of the sound is determined by the shape of the acoustic signal and, accordingly, its spectrum. The spectrum of sound is defined as a set of simple harmonic vibrations, into which any acoustic signal can be decomposed using Fourier Transforms. The difference in timbre of voices is determined by the spectral distribution of sound energy. The timbre of the sound can be artificially changed using special filters, as well as various sound effects.
In musical practice, timbre is an important means of musical expression. With the help of the timbre, one or another component of the musical texture can be distinguished, and it can be provided with a characteristic sound. In some cases, the timbre can be one of the form-making factors. In the second half of the 20th century, timbre largely became one of the factors of musical style, especially in non-academic music.
The timbre variety of music is inexhaustible, since not only the sounds performed on different musical instruments or different voices differ behind the timbre, but also in a certain measure the sounds performed on the same instrument by different performing techniques. A significant impetus to the expansion of the timbre palette was the invention of electric musical instruments and synthesizers in the 20th century. A particularly rapid breakthrough in tone diversity has been seen since the late 1990s with the development of sound synthesis and editing software on the PC.
Sound volume
Loudness is a subjective idea of the intensity and strength of sound, which arises in the mind of a person when it is perceived by the organs of hearing.Loudness depends on the amplitude, and also, in part, on the vibration frequency (sounds of the same intensity, but different frequencies are perceived as different in volume). At the same intensity, the loudest sounds are in the middle register (approximately 500-1000 Hz). In general, the perception of the strength of sound obeys the general psychophysiological law of Weber - Fechner (sensations change in proportion to the stimulation algorithm).
In musical practice, the phenomena associated with the loudness of a sound are called dynamics. The dynamic scale used in music is very relative. The absolute value of dynamic shades depends on many factors - the capabilities of a musical instrument or ensemble of instruments, room acoustics, performance interpretation, etc.
Dynamics serves as an important form-making factor in music. The masterful use of dynamic shades allows to set off different layers of musical texture, which is most important for the polyphonic and homophonic - harmonious composition, to expressively intonate the melodic line. In a number of musical styles of predominantly academic music, dynamics emerges as one of the most important factors in artistic drama. The effects of dynamic contrasts, fade in or out of sonority are used as a powerful tool for creating emotional and psychological effects. In some cases, this prompted composers to expand the conditional dynamic scale to the nuances of "ppppp" and "fffff" and even further.
At the same time, for musical folklore, religious music and most styles of non-academic music, especially pop and rock music, the use of speakers as a factor in drama is not typical. On the contrary, most genres of entertainment music use compressors to equalize the speakers.
Sound duration
Since music is a temporary art (a piece of music unfolds and is perceived in time), musical sounds are clearly organized in time. The temporal organization of the sequence and the grouping of the durations of musical sounds and pauses is called a musical rhythm.
In musical practice, a scale of relative note durations is used, based on the sequential division of the main note duration - a whole note - by two. According to this division, note durations are named: "whole note", "half note", "quarter note", etc. If necessary, the main note durations can be modified by adding a special sign - "points", which lengthens the duration by half, or by using special types of rhythmic division.
The actual value of any length depends on the tempo at which they are played. If, for example, the number of quarter notes per minute T is indicated in the tempo designation, then the absolute duration t of the quarter note will be equal to a second. Thus, for example, sixteen at the Allegro tempo (ɹ = 120) would equal 0.125 seconds.
