How do you pronounce Timbre?

Timbre is pronounced "TAM-ber (or TIM-ber)".

Timbre

The characteristic quality of a sound that distinguishes one instrument or voice from another.

About Timbre

Timbre (also called tone colour) is what makes a flute sound different from a trumpet even when both play the same pitchPitchThe perceived highness or lowness of a sound, determined by its frequency.View full entry → at the same volume. It is determined by the overtoneOvertoneA higher frequency that sounds simultaneously above a fundamental pitch, shaping the tone colour of…View full entry → series — the specific pattern and relative strength of harmonics above the fundamentalFundamentalThe lowest frequency in a harmonic series, perceived as the main pitch of a note.View full entry → frequencyFrequencyThe number of sound-wave vibrations per second, measured in hertz, that determines how high or low…View full entry →.

More fundamental terms

Sight-Reading

The ability to perform a piece of music at first sight without prior practice or rehearsal

Pitch

The perceived highness or lowness of a sound, determined by its frequency.

Baroque

The period of Western art music spanning roughly 1600 to 1750, characterised by ornate expression, basso continuo, and the development of tonal harmony.

Rhythm

The pattern of sounds and silences in time.

Drone

A sustained or continuously repeated note or chord that sounds throughout a passage or entire piece

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