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Same note, different instrument
Age 15 · Music
A violin and a flute can play exactly the same note and still sound different. That difference, called timbre, comes from how strong the higher harmonics are and from how the sound starts.
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Age 15: open this week
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In the picture
- Violin: its body shapes a rich, bright sound
- Fundamental: one loop, the pitch you hear
- Higher harmonic: four loops, strong in the violin’s sound
- Flute: a purer, softer sound
- Higher harmonic: four loops, weak in the flute’s sound
Examples
- A piano and a guitar playing the same note are easy to tell apart.
- You recognise a friend’s voice on the phone even when they say the same word as someone else.
Key takeaways
- Every instrument mixes a fundamental with harmonics in its own proportions.
- The way a note begins, its attack, also helps you identify the instrument.
Quiz: Same note, different instrument (Age 15)
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A violin and a flute play exactly the same note, yet they sound different. What causes this difference, called timbre?
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Besides its harmonics, what else helps you recognise which instrument is playing a note?
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Compared with a flute, what is true of a violin’s sound?
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