The

Principles of Musical Instruments

In the modern era in the music industry it is important for music producers, sound engineers
or music technologists to have a good understanding of how different musical instruments
are constructed and how they work to produce the sound that they do. Once you
understand those two aspects of musical instruments you can then work to produce/record
an instrument with fidelity to give a real sound.

The three main types of instrument I will be discussing in this article are wind, string and
percussion instruments. I will discuss the physical construction of each instrument and how
they are played, as well as the musical attributes of some of the instruments where
possible.

Wind Instruments

Firstly, I will start by discussing wind instruments such as the flute and trumpet. These are
both wind instruments but they have some similarities and differences which I will state in
this article whilst comparing them.

Flute A flute is part of the woodwind group. They are round and cylindrical and rather
than woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone which is a reedless wind
instrument that produces its sound by the flow of air across an opening. Professional flutes
tend to be made from solid silver.

A flute produces sound when a stream of air directed across a hole in the instrument
creates a vibration of air at the hole. The stream of air across the hole creates a Bernoulli, or
siphon. This disturbs the air contained in a cylindrical resonant cavity inside the flute.

The flutist changes the pitch of the sound produced by opening and closing holes in the
body of the instrument which changes the length of the resonator and its resonant
frequency. By varying the air pressure, a flutist can also change the pitch of a note by
causing the air in the flute to resonate at a harmonic level rather than the fundamental
frequency without opening or closing any holes.

The quality (timbre) varies because the flute can produce harmonics in different proportions
or intensities. The quality can be adjusted by changing the internal shape of the bore, such
as the diameter-to-length ratio. A harmonic is a frequency that is a whole number multiple
of a lower register, or the fundamental note of the flute. Generally, the air stream is thinner,
faster and aimed across the hole less deeply which allows a shallower deflection of the air
stream in the production of upper harmonics.

The frequency range of a flute is 250Hz - 2.5kHz. In terms of envelope, a flute has a medium
to short attack and decay with a full sustain and a medium to short release.

Trumpet A Trumpet is a brass wind instrument that is use in orchestral pieces and in
concert bands. They are played by blowing air through partially closed lips, producing a
buzzing type sound that starts a stationary wave vibration in the air column inside the

instrument. Since the 15th century they have mainly been constructed of brass tubing,
usually bent two times into a round oblong type shape.
Modern trumpets have three (or sometimes four) piston valves, which extend the length of
tubing when engaged which in turn lowers the pitch.

A trumpet has tow different frequency ranges depending on which note to play. When a C
note is played the frequency range is 107Hz 1kHz and when an F note is played the
frequency range is 300Hz 1kHz. The envelope for a trumpet is similar to that of a flute
because it has a medium to short attack and decay

String Instruments

Secondly, I will be discussing string instruments such as the guitar and the violin. These are
both string instruments but they have some similarities and differences which I will state in
this article whilst comparing them.

Guitar A guitar is a popular type of string instrument with anywhere from four to eighteen
strings, however, they usually have six. The sound is projected acoustically or through
electrical amplifiers. Guitars are played by strumming or plucking the strings with one hand
while fretting (pressing against the frets) the strings with the other. A guitar is a type of
chordophone, traditionally constructed from wood and strung with gut, nylon or steel
strings. A Guitar is different from other chordophones because of its construction and
tuning.

The frequency range of a guitar is 80Hz to 630Hz. In terms of the envelope, the attack all
depends on how you play the guitar. If you strum the guitar quickly and apply a lot of
pressure, then the attack will be short.

Violin The violin (also called a fiddle) is a string instrument usually with four strings tuned
in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string
instruments. A violinist plays the violin by drawing a bow across one or more of the strings
which may be stopped by the fingers of the other hand to create a full range of pitches by
plucking the strings with either hand.

The parts of a violin are usually made from different types of wood and violins are usually
strung with gut, Perlon or other synthetic or steel strings. Although violins are typically
made of wood, electric violins may not be made of wood as their sound may not be reliant
on specific acoustic characteristics of the instrument's construction.

The frequency range of a violin is 200Hz to 3.5kHz. In terms of the envelope for a violin, the
attack will be relatively long for

Percussion Instruments

Furthermore, I will be discussing percussion instruments such as the Xylophone and the
Tambourine. These are both percussion instruments but they have some similarities and
differences which I will state in this article whilst comparing them.


Xylophone The Xylophone is a musical instrument in the percussion family that consists
of wooden bars struck by mallets. The xylophone has bars of Rosewood, Padauk or synthetic
materials such as fiberglass or fiberglass-reinforced plastic which produces a louder sound.

The xylophone is a transposing instrument because its parts are written one octave below
the sounding notes. Xylophones are played with very hard rubber, polyball, or acrylic
mallets. Sometimes medium to hard rubber mallets are used for softer effects. Lighter tones
can be created on xylophones by using wooden-headed mallets made from rosewood,
ebony, birch, or other hard woods.

The frequency range of a Xylophone is 700Hz to 3.5kHz.

Tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of
a frame, often of wood or plastic with pairs of small metal jingles called zils. Tambourines
come in many different shapes but the most common is a circular shape. The tambourine
can be held in the hand or mounted on a stand, and can be played in many different ways,
from stroking or shaking the jingles (zils) to striking it sharply with the hand or a stick.
Sometimes you could also use the tambourine to strike the leg or hip.

The frequency range of a tambourine is 200Hz to 1kHz depending on whether or not the
tambourine has a head or not. If the tambourine has a head the head will produce the low
frequency tones and the jingles (zils) will produce the higher frequency tones.

Conclusion

All of these instruments are part of their individual families and have their own
characteristics. Those characteristics allow each instrument to be perfect for the genre of
which the instrument is used. It is vital as much producers, sound engineers, or music
technologists to understand these characteristics and aspects of each instruments to
achieve fidelity in studio recording and live performance.