Why do instruments sound different?

Question

They're vibrating at the same rate for the same note, right? So how come they sound substantially different? Als, how come every instrument can not play the same range?

>_>' I don't get what's wrong with my question. D:

I mean like what about their shape and material makes them sound different? If I had a wooden saxophone, would it sound the same?

Okay. ^_^ Thank you for taking me seriously. C:

That definitely does help. Thanks. :D

Answer 1

Well, in terms of them "vibrating at the same rate for the same note," that's sort of true... A-440 is A-440, but it's not that simple. When a flute plays a given note, it clearly sounds different from when a violin plays the same note, and the reason for that has to do with several interacting factors. We usually talk about the "timbre" of a sound, which is a concept that combines the fundamental frequency with various harmonics and overtones that make an instrument sound the way it does. That A-440 (so-called "concert pitch") does indeed have a fundamental frequency of 440 cycles per second. But if ALL you heard was the fundamental, the effect is, to my ears, rather "hollow." You can get synthesizers to produce this kind of thing (and it can be good for certain lead sounds). Each resonator (which is just a word for something that vibrates) produces its own set of both even and odd harmonic frequencies, and that unique combination is what makes things "sound" different.

Also, it turns out that notes have a life span. We call the life span of a note its "envelope," and there are basically four words that describe the envelope of a note: attack (what happens right when you begin to play the note), peak (the point of greatest volume), sustain (how long the note goes on), and decay (the fading of the sound). Just as each kind of resonator makes its own unique combination of harmonics and overtones leading to its unique sound, so too does each resonator have its own characteric envelope.

Each instrument also has its own range. In this particular case, it's usually the case that the smaller or shorter the instrument, the higher the useful range. That's a little misleading given electronic instruments like virtual synths that have no "size" but almost unlimited range, but for acoustic instruments it's a general rule. An acoustic bass, with its large size and thick strings produces vibrations commonly slower than does a violin, with its smaller size and thinner strings. When you look at the registers of an organ, the lowest frequencies are set up in the large pipes, and vice versa. Looking inside a piano, an instrument with an extremely wide range, you'll notice the same thing; the low notes are produced by long, thick strings whereas the high notes are produced by shorter, thin strings. All this stuff relates to the physical characteristics of the medium being used to make the note (pitch) sound. It's easier to get sufficient volume in the lower registers with sufficient volume out of those thick strings, but trying to tune them up too high cause them to break.

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Every type of instrument has a different body size and type of mouthpiece. The general rule is that the longer your instrument is, the deeper its tone will be. Higher registered instruments will almost always be smaller.

As to the sharper and flatter tones, I have no clue how they're manipulated. Someone else can probably tell you that.

Answer 3

is this a trick question? why do cars have diffrent colors and names....they all have 4 wheels and ya drive em....why do we have diffrent tasting foods?...they all nurish us with nutreints?????...diffrent matierals have diffrent sound qualitys...play a wooden acoustic guitar and a metal dorobo...ya will be able to pick out the tonal and renosant diffrences....same with drums...brass and woodwind instruments...nylon,metal,flatwound, and roundwound strings for guitars....every matieral resonates diffrently...apologies for being a smart a*s

Answer 4

are you actually very serious? Seriously!