Note onsets have staggered harmonic entry times that define each instrument’s timbre

Evidence

The onset phase for the reed stops is considerably more complicated since many more harmonics are present in each case. The fundamental for the hautbois and regal is evident first, and the second harmonic for the trompette. In all cases, the fundamental exhibits a frequency rise at onset during the first few cycles of reed vibration. The staggered times of entry of the higher harmonics form part of the acoustic timbral characteristic of that particular stop, the trompette having all harmonics present up to the 4 kHz upper frequency bound of the plot, the hautbois having all harmonics up to about 2.5 kHz, and the regal exhibiting little or no evidence (at this amplitude setting of the plot) of the fourth or eighth harmonics. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1449

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s broader interest in how timbre is perceived — the ear identifies an instrument by how its partials arrive, not by its steady spectrum. — connects to: An instrument’s normal attack transient is essential to its characteristic timbre; Timbre depends on sound order over time, not just spectral content.; A note’s onset phase matters most for perceived timbre — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1469 (+8 more)
• SHARE: Perfect for a composer or organist: the trompette’s onset reaches 4 kHz while the hautbois only 2.5 kHz, and that gap is the timbre.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1449

Broader Connections

• Timbre reduces to a weighted ratio of fundamental and resolved versus unresolved harmonics #complicates (0.75)
• Bright timbres stem from strong energy in harmonics above the seventh #expands (0.72)