Estimated reading time 3 minutes
Table of Contents
Learn the Secret Relationship of Timbre and Harmony #1: Tuning Up Vocals, Woodwinds, Brass, and Violins
Have you ever wondered why a chord works with one instrument’s tone color (or a particular timbre of voice) but not another? Do you want to know what to listen for when tuning up your chords? Timbre and harmony are intimately related and understanding that relationship will deepen a composer’s knowledge of music. Also, it’ll help vocals, woodwinds, brass, and violins to know what to listen for when tuning up chords. Keep reading to learn the secret relationship of timbre and harmony.
This article uses technical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Learn the Secret Relationship of Timbre and Harmony #2: What is Note Fusion and Harmonic Tone Color?
What is the secret relationship of timbre and harmony? It’s that harmony and timbre (or tone color) are two sides of the same coin:
- First: Timbre helps you recognize an instrument.
- The overall spectral balance of the harmonics is a major factor in helping you to distinguish a guitar from a flute from a soprano voice.
- Second: The tone color helps you tune up your chords.
- In the chart below, you can see the harmonic overtones of the C major chord.
- The color coded notes show the lowest common partial between the chord tones, which is the most important overtone relationship your ear uses to tune harmonies.
- Third: Timbre is where your perception of harmony comes from.
- If the harmonic partials in different notes line up right, they fuse together so that you hear them as a single large note or tone color.
Plomp and Levelt state:
By fusion, [Stumpf] meant the tendency of two simultaneous tones to be perceived as a unity. (Tonal Consonance and Critical Bandwidth 550)
To truly understand chords, you need to understand the relationship between harmony and timbre:
- As the chords change, some harmonic overtones are reinforced while others are attenuated. This affects the perceived strength of the harmonics, which creates a shift in tone color.
- Simply put, your perception of harmony is the change in tone color as the chords lock in tune.
- As the harmonies change, the balance of the overtones change, which changes the tone color of the combined instruments.
Thus, some chords will sound better with the tone color of one instrument rather than another. Also, some chords will work better with the timbre of voice than on the piano or guitar.
Mobile users: for best results reading the example, tilt your screen 90o to the right.
Learn the Secret Relationship of Timbre and Harmony #3: Are There More Tuning Cues?
Video: Shifts in Harmony and the Timbre of Voice
How does the secret relationship of timbre and harmony affect tuning? Note fusion is an important tuning cue:
- This is what vocalists, violinists, brass and woodwind players need to listen for.
- With experience you can recognize when a chord is in tune.
- If you listen to the song in the video above, you’ll hear the vocalists balance the timbre of their voices (i.e., the vowels) with the overall tuning of the harmony.
Besides note fusion, you’ll have two other tuning cues. You’ll need to listen for:
In addition, I have an ear training exercise that’ll help you practice singing harmonies (and by extension playing violins, brass, and woodwinds) in tune:
Learn the Secret Relationship of Timbre and Harmony #4: Final Thoughts
Here’s a summary of Learn the Secret Relationship of Timbre and Harmony:
- Tone color helps you recognize instruments.
- It’s where your perception of harmony comes from.
- It helps you tune up your chords.
Have fun playing and singing!
Related Posts
- Where Do I Start if I Want to Be Able to Sing A Cappella?
- Choosing the Right Sound to Play with Just Intonation
- Intonation and Supplemented Equal Temperament
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
Join me for in-person or online lessons today!
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