Many singers at the beginning of their vocal journey are interested in understanding the key theoretical terms of this profession (among such concepts is timbre). The timbre of the voice determines the tone and color of the sound that is heard during sound reproduction.

It is very difficult to learn vocals without special theoretical knowledge; without it, it can be difficult to evaluate your own vocal or simply speech data and skillfully correct them.

To determine this characteristic of your voice, you first need to understand in general what timbre is. This term refers to how and to what extent the voice is colored in the process of speaking or singing, its individual characteristics, as well as the warmth of the spoken sound.

The leading tone and overtone (the specific shade of the leading tone) determine the sound of the voice as a whole. If the overtones are saturated (bright), the spoken sound will have the same qualities. The interaction of tone and corresponding overtone is an exclusively individual vocal characteristic, so it is very difficult to meet two people with the same tones.

• anatomical shape of the trachea;
• trachea size;
• volume of the resonator (resonator - cavities in the human body responsible for amplifying sound - oral and nasal cavities, as well as the throat);
• the tightness of the closure of the vocal cords.

The psychological state, like all these anatomical characteristics, determines what kind of voice sounds in this moment time. That is why the timbre can be used to judge a person’s condition, as well as his well-being. This characteristic is not constant - a person can change his tone arbitrarily.

• human posture;
• speed of word pronunciation;
• fatigue.

The tone becomes less clear if the speaker is tired or pronounces all the words very quickly. With a crooked posture, a person also breathes incorrectly. Breathing determines how speech will sound, so posture cannot but affect the timbre of your voice.

Types of Voices

When a person has a calm, measured timbre of voice, his speech becomes harmonious and “correct” for others. Not everyone has developed this quality since childhood. Any original voice timbre can become pure if it is properly trained.

On professional level For this purpose, singers are taught to control the emotional component of speech and the frequency of sounds. To master such skills, it is enough to contact a person who understands vocals or classical vocal tonality.

Exist different types timbres The simplest classification takes into account gender and age characteristics - that is, the tone can be masculine, feminine, or childish.

• mezzo-soprano;
• soprano (high singing tone - soprano is divided into coloratura, lyric, dramatic);
• contralto (low female singing voice).

• baritone;
• bass (male low voice, divided into central, melodious);
• tenor (high singing tone in men, divided into dramatic and lyrical).

Children's tones:

• alto (higher in height than tenor);
• treble (sounds similar to soprano, but is typical for boys).

• soft;
• melodic;
• nice;
• metal;
• deaf.

Stage keys (it is important that this is typical only for singers):

• velvet;
• gold;
• copper;
• silver

• cold;
• soft;
• heavy;
• weak;
• solid;
• hard.

All these characteristics are not final - the same singer can change them arbitrarily during training.

What can affect the timbre

There are several factors that can change the timbre of a person’s voice spontaneously. These include:

• puberty (a person’s tone changes as a result of growing up, becoming stronger, rougher; it is impossible to stop this process, the sound will no longer be the same as it was at an early age);
• colds, hypothermia (for example, when you have a cold, your throat may hurt and a cough may appear, the tone during this period changes, it becomes more hoarse, dull, and low voices predominate during a cold);
• chronic lack of sleep, emotional stress;
• smoking (with prolonged smoking, the timbre of the voice gradually becomes lower, rougher);
• chronic alcohol consumption (alcohol irritates the vocal cords and transforms the voice into a low and hoarse voice).

Almost all factors can be eliminated. This is why it is better to refuse bad habits, try to avoid stress and not smoke in order to keep the tone of speech as pure as it originally is.

Is it possible to change the timbre

Voice timbre is not genetically determined, and therefore can be corrected during lessons with a vocal specialist. The anatomical qualities of the ligaments (these are folds in the area of ​​the sound-producing center) cannot be conservatively changed by a person, since they are formed anatomically from the moment the genetic qualities are formed. For this purpose, there are special surgical operations during which defects that have arisen are corrected.

The origin of sound begins in the larynx, but final formation and giving it timbre occurs in the resonator cavities (oral, nasal, throat). Therefore, various adjustments to the position and tension of certain muscles can also affect the timbre.

How to identify and change the tone

Due to the lack of special knowledge, it can be difficult to determine the timbre of a voice at home; one can only guess it. For an accurate determination, you should contact a vocal specialist or use a special spectrometer.

The spectrometer determines the timbre of the voice most reliably. The device analyzes the sound pronounced by a person, simultaneously classifying it. The device contains a sound amplifier and a microphone - a spectrometer, using filters, divides the sound into elementary components and determines the pitch of their sound. More often, the device reacts to consonant letters (enough to analyze those three consonant letters that sounded first in speech).

The tone changes spontaneously only during adolescence - at the same time, a person stops using his speech potential, since most of it is spent on controlling the spoken sound - intonation or volume. Sometimes the tone and timbre changes under stress, but this happens less often.

How to hear your real voice

A person cannot objectively determine the timbre of his own sound due to the fact that he hears himself differently from the way others hear. Sound waves travel internally and are therefore distorted in the inner and middle ear. The technique captures the real sound that others hear - which is why it is sometimes difficult to recognize it on the recording.

You can also take 2 sheets of cardboard (sometimes a stack of sheets or a folder) and then apply it to both ears. Paper shields sound waves, therefore, when pronouncing words in this position, a person will hear the real sound, since this shielding affects the audible tone of the voice.

Timbre of female and male voices– for singers important characteristic voices and speeches. It also matters for ordinary people. The timbre can be adjusted with specially selected exercises or gymnastics, since often ordinary person it may not be entirely correct.

10. Special remedy

We got acquainted with almost all means musical expressiveness. But there is one more special thing left. And it relates not only to music, but also to physics. Let's think about what other properties each sound has, besides height and duration. Volume? Yes. But there is another property. The same melody can be played on the piano, violin, flute, and guitar. Or you can sing. And even if you play it on all these instruments in the same key, at the same tempo, with the same nuances and strokes, the sound will still be different. With what? The very color of the sound, it timbre.

Remember overtones? These are the ones that mainly influence the timbre. Each sound is a vibration of air in the form of a wave. Along with the main tone, the pitch of which we hear, it includes overtones that give this wave a special color - timbre. Can sound be without overtones? Yes, but it can only be obtained in special laboratory conditions. And it sounds pretty disgusting. There are no such sounds in nature; it is brighter and more beautiful.

Having studied and decomposed timbre waves, scientists have invented a synthesizer that can create new timbres and imitate existing ones, sometimes quite successfully. Of course, artificial synthesizer tones cannot replace live voices and instruments. But modern music life is no longer possible without a synthesizer.

This is what some sound waves look like:

But what do these physical graphs have to do with musical expression? Very big. Voices are for a composer like paints are for an artist. How many different timbres do you think there are in a symphony orchestra? At least twelve (and many more instruments). And in large, expanded orchestra compositions there can be more than thirty different timbres (and more than a hundred instruments). But that's only clean timbres of individual instruments. Just as artists mix paints to create new colors and shades, composers often use mixed timbres, combinations of various instruments.

How many timbres can there be in piano music? Only one piano timbre. If orchestral music can be compared to a painting painted oil paints, That piano music this is a pencil drawing. But great artists master the pencil so well that they can convey the smallest shades in black and white pencil drawings and create the illusion of colors. Great pianists know how to create the impression of a large colorful orchestra on their “black and white” instrument. And in terms of the subtlety of conveying the smallest nuances, the piano is even superior to the orchestra. Some pianists talk about different piano tones and teach how to play with different tones. And although this is not entirely true from a physical point of view, we can indeed hear these different timbres. Because art is a miracle, and a miracle can contradict the laws of physics.

Why is timbre a special means of musical expression? Because the nature of this expressiveness is special, not the same as that of other means. Melody, harmony, mode and rhythm ours main means, the “face” of music depends entirely on composer. The texture and register depend on the composer, but not always. Can be processed musical piece, without changing its “face”, but changing registers and texture. Pace, strokes, dynamics may be specified by the composer, but very much depend on performer. It is precisely because of the tempo, strokes and dynamics that each musician makes the same pieces sound slightly different. A timbre depends on the tool. Only the choice of instrument depends on the composer, and its beautiful sound depends on the performer.

A. Ustinov

About the concept " musical timbre" *

In terms of the issue we are considering, it is worth paying attention to the concept that is directly related to the assessment of the sound of a particular instrument and is its integral feature. This concept is timbre musical instrument. In psychology dictionaries, as well as in many musical sources, this concept is given the following definition: “Timbre is a subjectively perceived feature of sound, its color associated with the simultaneous influence of various sound frequencies.”

It seems to us that this concept still remains insufficiently defined for both the “musician” and the “physicist”. The roots of the current ambiguity of the concept lie, on the one hand, in the psychology of human perception of sound vibrations, and on the other, in the methods used to represent sound in technical acoustics.

The position of the “physicist” seems simpler, since for him the concept of timbre does not include a subjective component, one’s own sensations. For him, timbre is only physical parameters - a certain set of frequency components - a spectrum and a certain wave form corresponding to it. For the "musician" the timbre is general view- this is the character of the sound, described by such adjectives as “bright”, “juicy”, “deep”, “sharp”, etc. At the same time, the concept of timbre acquires greater certainty in connection with a specific instrument. Moreover, if, for example, it is said “this is the timbre of a violin,” then most often what is said is understood not as a separate sound, not as some specific and characteristic touch or technique, but the entire set of different sounds produced on a given instrument, including characteristic performance techniques and even noise overtones.

It is noteworthy that automatic identification of timbre, that is, recognizing or classifying it using electronic devices, turns out to be not such a simple task precisely because a musical instrument reproduces many related, but far from identical sounds. Human perception is based on associative principles and values ​​of the physical parameters of sound vibrations are perceived by him not in absolute terms, but in proportions between individual parameters. However, the most important thing is that the perception of timbre occurs in some integral, generalized characteristics. For this reason, some, often negligible, changes in physical parameters become very noticeable to the ear, while other, much larger changes remain unnoticed. There is no doubt that this brain function is determined by the entire history of human development and is associated not only with the process of sound perception. To successfully recognize an object when faced with its transformations, the brain needs to identify and evaluate the main characteristic features objects that are saved when significant changes individual parameters.

Based on the material presented above, a remark should be made about the practical unsuitability of the definition of the concept of “timbre”, traditional for musicology and general psychology, but essentially private. At least, about the unsuitability of this definition for a strict classification of sound objects. By the way, researchers involved in acoustic measurements and the psychology of sound perception are well acquainted with a simple experiment, the results of which, as a rule, surprise most musicians. This experiment, in particular, is reported in the monograph “Psychology of Auditory Perception” by V. Nosulenko: “... it is enough to change the direction of movement of the tape on which the sounds of the piano are recorded to make the timbre of the sound completely unrecognizable.” Our explanation is that the spectral composition of sound, that is, “its color,” in in this case do not undergo changes, but dynamic and spectral changes over time (that is, integral characteristics), which in this case were precisely disrupted by the inverse reproduction of the phonogram, turn out to be more important for human identification of timbre.

* Excerpt from a report at a scientific and practical conference in Rostov Conservatory(2000).

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“The most difficult subjectively felt parameter is timbre. With the definition of this term, difficulties arise comparable to the definition of the concept “life”: everyone understands what it is, but scientific definition science has been struggling for several centuries.”
(I. Aldoshina)

In nature, we almost never encounter pure tones. The sound of any musical instrument is complex and consists of many frequency components - overtones.

Even with very complex sound vibrations, the human ear is able to recognize the pitch of the sound. However, with the same height, the sound of, for example, a violin differs to the ear from the sound of a piano. This is due to the fact that, in addition to the pitch of the sound, the ear is also able to evaluate the “color” of the sound, i.e. its timbre.

The timbre of a sound is the quality of sound that, regardless of frequency and amplitude, allows one to distinguish one sound from another. The timbre of a sound depends on the overall spectral composition of the sound (i.e., what overtones are present in it) and the ratio of the amplitudes of the spectral components (i.e., overtones):

Overtones

The concept of timbre is closely related to the concept of pitch. The fact is that sound vibrations, as a rule, are complex.

For example, if we played the note “A” of the first octave on the violin (frequency 440 Hz), then the vibrations of this string will also contain multiple frequencies of 880, 1320, 1760, 2200 Hz, etc.

In this case, the amplitudes of these frequencies (overtones) can be different, i.e. the overtones will have different volumes.

The German physicist Georg Ohm was the first to suggest that a simple auditory sensation is caused by a simple sinusoidal oscillation ( such an oscillation is also called harmonic; it is important not to confuse harmonic oscillations, i.e. those that are described by the functions y=sin x, etc., and harmonic overtones, which are also harmonic vibrations, but their frequencies are also multiples of the fundamental frequency). As soon as the vibration form becomes more complex, overtones appear - the impression of sound color or timbre appears.

An example of the emergence of a complex vibration by adding two simple (harmonic) vibrations.
Blue indicates the main harmonic oscillation, pink - a vibration of twice the frequency (overtone or first harmonic), and green - the resulting complex (non-harmonic) vibration.

He was able to establish that the ear perceives separate harmonic components of sound, and these components cause separate sensations. With some training, you can even mentally separate a complex periodic oscillation and determine which harmonics are present in the sound.

Thus, the human ear is capable of perceiving a complex form of sound vibrations as color or timbre.

Harmonic overtones or harmonics

Overtones can be harmonic or non-harmonic.

The frequencies of harmonic overtones are multiples of the frequency of the fundamental tone (harmonic overtones together with the fundamental tone are also called harmonics):

In real physical situations (for example, when a massive and rigid string vibrates), the frequencies of the overtones can deviate noticeably from values ​​that are multiples of the frequency of the fundamental tone - such overtones are called non-harmonic.

Spectral composition and timbre

Amplitude-frequency ratio of all components a complex vibration is called a sound spectrum, and the sounds corresponding to each frequency present in a complex vibration are called spectral components or components.

The set of spectral components determines the timbre of the sound. And since each spectral component is a sound of a certain pitch, talking about timbre as a separate property of sound is not entirely correct. However, it is the timbre of the sound (or rather, the spectrum) that is usually the focus of attention when we're talking about about sound processing technologies.

Examples of the spectral composition of musical sounds:

Timbre of sound, i.e. the ratio of the amplitudes of its harmonics also affects the perceived pitch of a complex tone.

Phantom frequencies

Sometimes a person can hear sounds in the low-frequency region, although in reality there were no sounds of this frequency. The brain perceives pitch not only by its fundamental frequency, but also by its periodicity, determined by the relationship between harmonics. We can perceive the same pitch (perhaps with a different timbre) even if the fundamental frequency is not heard (or lost) when played back. (Frequency signals of a complex spectrum without a fundamental frequency (the first harmonic in the spectrum) are called residual.)

For example, if a note (i.e. not a pure tone) has a pitch of 100 Hz, it will consist of frequency components that are integer multiples of that value (e.g. 100, 200, 300, 400, 500.... Hz). However, small speakers may not reproduce low frequencies, so the 100 Hz component may be missing from playback. However, the frequency corresponding to the fundamental tone can be heard.

This effect was called the “Missed Fundamental Phenomenon” - an experiment in 1940 demonstrated that the sense of pitch of a spectrally complex sound will not change if its fundamental frequency is removed; it will be completed by the brain based on the existing harmonics. It is used in sound reproduction equipment to expand the range of reproduced low frequencies if it is impossible to adequately reproduce such frequencies directly, for example, in headphones, mobile phones, low-budget speakers (acoustic systems), etc.

Voices - musical colors

1. Expressing the moods of the surrounding world in music through timbres.
2. Characteristics of violin timbres (using the example of the Scheherazade theme from the symphonic suite “Scheherazade” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov and “Flight of the Bumblebee” from the opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov); cellos (using the example of “Vocalise” by S. Rachmaninov, arranged for cello and piano); flutes (using the example of “Jokes” from Suite No. 2 for orchestra by J. S. Bach).

Musical material:

1. N. Rimsky-Korsakov. Scheherazade's Theme from symphonic suite"Scheherazade" (listening);
2. N. Rimsky-Korsakov. “Flight of the Bumblebee” from the opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan” (listening);
3. S. Rachmaninov. “Vocalise” (arranged for cello and piano) (listening);
4. J. S. Bach. “Joke” from Suite No. 2 for orchestra (listening);
5. M. Slavkin, poems by I. Pivovarova. "Violin" (singing).

Description of activities:

1. Explore the diversity and specificity of timbre embodiments in musical works.
2. Identify timbres when listening instrumental music(taking into account the criteria presented in the textbook).
3. Establish external connections between the sounds of nature and the sounds of musical timbres.

The art of combining orchestral sonorities,
is one of the sides of the soul of the composition itself...

N. Rimsky-Korsakov

Musical timbres are often compared to colors in painting. Like paints that express the color richness of the surrounding world and the diversity of its moods, musical timbres also convey the diversity of the world, its images and emotional states. Whether a human voice sings or a shepherd's pipe, the melody of a violin or the play of a harp is heard - any of these sounds is included in the multi-color palette of timbre embodiments of music.

Composers never create music that can be intended for any timbre. Each, even the smallest, work certainly contains an indication of the instrument that should perform it.

Every musician knows that the violin has a special melodious quality, which is why it is often assigned melodies of a smooth, songlike nature.

Here, for example, is the theme of Scheherazade from the symphonic suite of the same name by N. Rimsky-Korsakov. You can hear the charm of magic in it Arabian night, And gentle voice Scheherazade.

No less famous is the virtuosity of the violin, its ability to perform the most rapid melodies with extraordinary ease and brilliance. Examples of such a role for the violin include “Flight of the Bumblebee” from N. Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera “The Tale of Tsar Saltan.”

The angry Bumblebee, preparing to sting Babarikha, makes its famous flight. The sound of this flight, which the music reproduces with fine precision and great wit, is created by the melody of the violin. This melody is so fast that the listener really gets the impression of a menacing bumblebee buzzing.

The extraordinary warmth and expressiveness of the cello brings its intonation closer to a living human voice - deep, exciting and emotional. Therefore, in music there are often cases when vocal works sound arranged for cello, striking with the naturalness of timbre and breathing. A striking example of this kind is “Vocalise” by S. Rachmaninov.

The word "vocalise" means a vocal piece without words.
The brilliant “Vocalise” occupies a special place in Rachmaninov’s vocal lyrics. Rachmaninoff wrote Vocalise in 1912 and dedicated it to famous singer A. V. Nezhdanova. “Vocalise” is adjacent to the composer’s romances, which in their origins are associated with Russian songwriting. Elements of folk song style here organically flow into the melody, marked by a bright individuality.
The connection between “Vocalise” and Russian plangent song is evidenced by the breadth of the melody, the leisurely and seemingly “endless” nature of its development. The music is so expressive, so meaningful that the composer considered it possible to abandon the poetic text. I would like to call “Vocalise” a Russian “song without words.”

Where lightness, elegance and grace are required, the flute reigns. The sophistication and transparency of timbre, combined with its inherent high register, give the flute touching expressiveness.

The charming Scherzo (“Joke”) by J. S. Bach from Suite No. 2 for orchestra is an example of such an elegantly humorous sound of the flute. The chirping of the flute in a virtuosic manner is so graceful and cheerful that it seems as if the music could go on and on...

Scherzo - “Joke” - this is how this word is translated. But it's not always "funny" music. This name is attached to instrumental works of a sharp nature, with lively intonations and unexpected musical turns.

Questions and tasks:

1. Why can musical timbres be compared to colors in painting?
2. What features distinguish the sound of a violin? Tell us using the example of the theme of “Scheherazade” and “Flight of the Bumblebee” by N. Rimsky-Korsakov.
3. What timbre can the sound of a cello be compared to?
4. How would the character of the sound in J. S. Bach’s “Joke” change if the cello were the soloist instead of the flute?
5. Do you think it is possible to entrust a melody written for one instrument to another? If yes, then name the options for such replacements.

Presentation:

Included:
1. Presentation, ppsx;
2. Sounds of music:
Bach. Scherzo from Suite No. 2, mp3;
Rachmaninov. Vocalise (2 performance options - violin and cello performed by Vladimir Spivakov and Mstislav Rostropovich, solo for voice, electric guitar performed by Viktor Zinchuk), mp3;
Rimsky-Korsakov. Flight of the Bumblebee, mp3;
Rimsky-Korsakov. Scheherazade's Theme (fragment) , mp3;
3. Accompanying article, docx.

The presentation also includes S. Rachmaninov’s piece “Vocalise” (electric guitar, in Spanish by V. Zinchuk) - at the discretion of the teacher.