The Challenge: Make musical instruments |
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Sound travels in the
same way whether it is music or noise. The difference between music and
noise is that musical
sounds are organized into patterns that have pitch and rhythm whereas
noise is just random, disorganized sounds.
A particular
musical note is determined by the number of times that the musical instrument
vibrates per second resulting in a sound wave. The number of times that
a sound wave vibrates in a second is called its frequency. Scientists
measure the frequency of sounds in cycles
per second and express the measurement in Hertz.
High
note vs low note diagram |
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The human ear
can detect a range of frequencies. There are frequencies that are
too low to detect but can be heard by other creatures, such as whales,
and there are frequencies that are too high for us to hear, such as
those produced by bats when trying to avoid other objects. |
So
we know how higher and lower notes are produced but how are louder
and softer notes made? |
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Put simply, louder
notes are made by bigger vibrations and softer notes are made by smaller
vibrations, although the number per second, or frequency, of vibrations
may remain the same. The loudness of a musical note does not necessarily
change its frequency. |
Why do different instruments sound different? 
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