Wind instruments produce their sound when the player blows into them through the mouthpiece. The resulting sound will depend on a variety of factors such as the length of the instrument column, its diameter and its shape. The way the instrument is build and its material will also affect its tone. Two big subgroups in the wind instrument family are the brass and woodwind instruments.
Percussion instruments are probably the oldest musical instruments in existence. They produce their sound when struck, either with the hand or a stick. The sound will be determined by the shape of the body, its material, the tension of the skin if any, the force with which the instrument is struck and more. There is something satisfactory, almost primal, to playing a percussion instrument that make them popular with many.
String instruments rely on their strings and hollow bodies to generate sound. There are various ways in which the string can be hit, it can be plucked, strummed, etc. Pitch is determined by string length, its mass and its tension. The resonating cavity volume, shape and material will dictate the overall tone of the sound.
Let us not forgot that man also possesses its own instrument, its voice. The speech apparatus is very similar to a musical instrument in a lot of ways. Vocal cords are set in movement by the air coming from the lungs, like in a guitar for example, tension of the vocal chords determines pitch and the shape of the vocal tract dictates tone. Humans can produce a wide variety of sounds with this simple yet intricate system.
Electronic instruments do not rely on mechanical means to produce sound but on electrical impulses. Electronic instruments cannot be considered as separate instruments as for the most part they mimic mechanical instruments. Keyboard instruments refer to any instrument that is played with a keyboard. They come in a wide variety of shapes. Sound comes from pressing on a keyboard key, each key producing a different sound or sounds. Sounds can often be manipulated through another mean like pedals for a piano for example. Musical instruments are a varied bunch and choosing one is a matter of personal taste. They can be rash and bold or soft and mellow. Choose a sound you like and stick with it, rewards are great as music is food for the soul.
I am in the "October" of my life and I think , I finally understand a least man-made music and his conception of it. Asking questions and reading books or any literature on the subject has sort of satisfied my quest for the "whys" of music. I have been practicing how to do this or that for years and years but the "whys" can set the creative mind to take off, so no more "can't get no satisfaction...." Since the infinite is to deep for me, lets deal with man made music.
I have come to the conclusion that all man made musical instruments have to be in the range of the human voice, a little higher or lower that's O.K. If not, they will become obsolete.
The human voice has kept man made music earth bound and the amazing things it that it range or distance is on the average only two and one half octaves! That's Johnny Cash territory and not Andrea Bucelli who really likes to stretch it, and its made him famous. The human voice is a marvelous instrument, the king and queen of all!
The well trained voice is fantastic with its ability to achieve its wide range of notes, like a diamond with its many facets. The fantastic Australian guitarist Tommy Emmanuel has composed a beautiful piece for guitar entitled "Angelina" but during the piece he hums in harmony with his finger picking and its beautiful. Check it out on Youtube.
My point again is the ultimate superiority of the human voice. Show me any instrumentalist, as good as he may be, that can match the drawing power of an Andrea Bucelli or your favorite who if he or she is real good can fill a stadium! So the bottom line is I like to sing and have Tommy Emmanuel be my accompanist, whaoo! That would be awesome!
The human voice has another big advantage. The power of the spoken word. A great Speaker, let alone a great singer has a powerful tool at his disposal. It can get you emotionally. Listen again to the late Harry Chapin sing his wife's composition "cats in the cradle" or Roy Clarke's "Yesterday when I was young" These examples of favorite powerful songs are not sung very often because the singer has a hard time emotionally singing it. That words are that powerful. If you are not affected you will have to fake it, I guarantee it!
Well I have enjoyed this, but it time to start training the king. Hey, it very takes a lot of discipline, but its worth it! Thanks for reading.
Both Mat Depp & Albert Sotelo are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Mat Depp has sinced written about articles on various topics from Recreation and Sports, Finances and Investments. Please visit Bugle Occasion for and. Mat Depp's top article generates over 22200 views. to your Favourites.
Albert Sotelo has sinced written about articles on various topics from Keyboard Synthesizer. Albert F. Sotelo is a voice and guitar teacher, performer and a member of NMTA. He runs the music store