What is the difference between sound and tone?! If you are a musician specifically a guitarist, what do you mean by saying I want a good tone?! I read on dictionary.com that it says that tone is the quality of sound. But what IS Tone?! Is there such a thing as perfect tone? Im predicting most will say tone cant be perfected its a matter of preference. Then if it really is all preference then doesn't that mean that the word tone is just another way of saying sound?!
2007-01-10 16:46:14 · 3 answers · asked by joethemetaldude 4 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Music
Having been a guitarist for over a decade, I can tell you that the difference between the two terms is somewhat ambiguous. The subtle differences arise mainly in the usage of the two words.
Tone is usually used to describe the natural acoustic sound of a guitar (or the way a guitar sounds when plugged into an amplifier without any added effects). On an electric guitar you can change the tone of your instrument through two tone knobs or a pickup switch (changing the tone will basically change the sound of your guitar through the amplifier by highlighting low-end frequency, middle frequency, or high-end frequency).
By contrast, sound is usually used to describe the overall sound quality of a guitar. On an electric guitar, this would include the effects used by a guitarist. For example, if you said you liked the sound of Jimi Hendrix, you would be talking about the natural tone of his guitar, the way that he plays the guitar (the same guitar can sound totally different in the hands of a different player), and the effects that he uses.
I hope that this helps
2007-01-10 16:59:31 · answer #1 · answered by James E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In music "tone" refers to 1) pitch; the perceived frequency of a note or sound, the note or the name of a pitch, 2) The graphic representation of that pitch in a notation system, and sometimes its note value. 3) Timbre; the quality of a musical note or sound.
My working definition of music is "controlled sound". You control the sound by controlling the characteristics of the tone ie bass, treble, volume, pitch, etc. by whatever means be it amplification, processing, and so on.
2007-01-11 00:50:23 · answer #2 · answered by ThinkaboutThis 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A sound has many tones depending on the filtering of it, ie treble and bass, like on your stereo. All guitars have their own tone because of the particular shape and size and materials they are made of. 440Hz is the norm for tuning.
2007-01-11 01:05:40 · answer #3 · answered by cruz doggie 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋