Timbre

braindrain · Post by **braindrain** » 02 Nov 2007, 09:58

Some elementary doubt..

How does 2 different Music Instruments "sound" different while playing at the same "frequency"? I've read something about "timbre" in the western music. If some experts can throw more light on this subject..

BD

vasanthakokilam · Post by **vasanthakokilam** » 02 Nov 2007, 10:18

Atleast part of the answer is the number of harmonics ( 1x, 2x, 3x 4x etc. ) generated by the instrument. The combined effect of the harmonics, especially the amplitude of the upper harmonics, is what we hear as different instuments even when the same note is played. Our ears and their sensory characteristics are quite a marvelous thing in that respect.

knandago2001 · Post by **knandago2001** » 12 Dec 2007, 18:05

links to an interesting research article on determining thresholds for sensing variation in pitch with special focus on the kampita gamaka of CM
http://www.ee.iitb.ac.in/uma/~daplab/pa ... sholds.doc

braindrain · Post by **braindrain** » 12 Dec 2007, 18:57

Thank you. Very informative.. and some interesting titles at the end.

Infact, I'm currently reading a book titled " This is your brain on Music" by Daniel Levitin. This first few chapters are very insightful.

http://www.amazon.com/This-Your-Brain-M ... 0525949690

BD

knandago2001 · Post by **knandago2001** » 13 Dec 2007, 08:00

Thanks for the info â€“ Hope to read it as soon as possible. Even the attempt to understand higher order cognitive functions with regard to music perception and vocalization is absolutely fascinating for reasons beyond the purely academic. At the rehab center where I work (Manovikas Kendra in Kolkata), Iâ€™ve observed numerous instances of dissociation of such functions â€“ particularly among children with Autism and Down syndrome.

Coming back to matters of harmony in sound, Sir C.V. Raman has authored an article on the acoustic properties of musical drums where he explains how an inharmonic sequence of tones is converted into a harmonic one. Here is the link:
http://www.ias.ac.in/j_archive/proca/1/ ... wpage.html

A must read for sheer elegance of style. An added bonus is the comparison afforded by the mridangam and the tabla!!