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🪵 The Threshold

Each instrument's timbre is defined by its unique recipe of harmonic partials

Properties2
tagsja-picks, factual_claims, singleton, xref, category/definitional-content
aliases@howard_acoustics_2017, loc. 5290

2 min read

Each instrument’s timbre is defined by its unique recipe of harmonic partials

Evidence

All tones making up the pitch sequences were harmonic complexes, consisting of the first four harmonics of the nominal pitch, exponentially decreasing in amplitude (1:1/2:1/4:1/8) to give an oboe-like timbre. — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5290 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

The one and only factor in sound production which conditions timbre is the presence or absence, or relative strength or weakness, of overtones.” (In Chapter 3, Table 3.1 gives the relationship between overtones and harmonics.) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1426 (#expands, via linked claim)

Notes excluding the seventh harmonic sound considerably less “reedy” than those with it; the seventh harmonic is one of the lowest that is not resolved by the hearing system (provided the sixth and/or eighth are/is also present). … The clarinet has a particular timbre of its own due to the dominance of the odd harmonics in its output, and it is often described as being “nasal.” — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1478 (#exemplifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

  • XREF: connects to: Instrument timbre differences stem from harmonic spectra that shape masking breadth — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 449; An oboe-like timbre is reproduced by four harmonics with exponentially decreasing amplitudes — Dijk, Pim van, Physiology, Psychoacoustics and…, 5290; The unresolved seventh harmonic imparts reedy timbre to instruments like the clarinet — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1478 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

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