timbre
French for “tone color,” the distinguishing quality of a
musical instrument’s sound
instrumentation
musical instruments used in an ensemble
orchestration
art of combining musical instruments in different ways
for musical affect
heterogeneous instrumentation
ensemble of mixed types of musical instruments
homogeneous instrumentation
ensemble of all same type of musical instruments
resonator
part of a musical instrument that filters and amplifies sound waves in specific ways
sympathetic vibration
the quieter musical sound caused by a prior louder
sound
strings-winds-percussion
system of classifying musical instruments of the
symphony orchestra
sach-hornbostel system
system of classifying musical instruments intended for
all humankind’s music
chordophones
musical sound comes from vibrating string
aerophones
musical sound comes from vibrating air column
membranophones
musical sound comes from vibrating membrane
idiophones
musical sound comes from vibration of entire instrument electrophone musical sound comes
electrophone
musical sound comes from vibrating loudspeaker
bridge
part of musical instrument that lifts the string off the sound board and transmits the vibration to the resonator
frets
an intermediate bridge where a string is pressed to change its vibrating length
gliassando
sliding between pitches smoothly
vibrato
small changes in pitch
courses
used when more than one string is tuned to the same
pitch
zithers
musical instruments in which strings are parallel to a resonator that extends their entire length
lutes
musical instruments in which strings are parallel to the body that holds them and with a resonator at one end
fingerboard
the “neck” of a lute that is a flat surface onto which
fingers press strings
lyres
musical instruments in which strings are attached to a crossbar that is held up by two posts and with a resonator at the bottom
harps
musical instruments in which strings are roughly perpendicular to the resonator
flutes
musical instruments in which a stream of air is blown over a sharp edge
reeds
musical instruments in which a stream of air is blown pieces of wood or other material that are fixed in a mouthpiece
bore
the shape of the tubing of an aerophone (conical or cylindrical)
transverse flute
held sideways to the player’s mouth
fipple
the sharp edge in a duct flute
frame drum
a membranophone with a resonator of short length
definite pitch
musical sound resulting from a simple, regular, and precise vibration
indefinite pitch
musical sound made from a complex, irregular vibration