14 pitch

High and low see also

The piano keyboard
Major scales 60–61
›
16–17

›
When we play notes on an instrument, one at a time, or sing Strings 174–175 ›
a few notes, we can distinguish one note from another by Brass 178–179 ›
their pitch—some notes are higher, and some are lower.

How music sounds are made

Musical sounds are vibrations in the air. When the
vibrations are regular, we can hear exact pitches.
We hear high notes when the vibrations are fast,
and lower notes when the vibrations are slower.

The player blows through a

narrow opening. The air hits
a hard edge called the lip, When a string is pressed down,
setting off regular vibrations. the vibrating length becomes
shorter and the note higher.

The hollow body of the

guitar amplifies and
projects the vibrations.

◁ Guitar
◁ Recorder A standard guitar has six
The vibrations As the player covers more strings of varying thickness.
are pushed out into holes, it makes the enclosed The heavier-gauge strings
the surrounding
air, where we part of the tube longer. This make the lower sounds.
hear them as causes slower vibrations and Pitches are fine-tuned
pitched notes. makes the note sound lower. using the tuning pegs.

High and low sounds

Smaller objects generally vibrate
The xylophone keys are hard
faster and make higher sounds. and polished, producing
On a piano or harp, the shorter a short, clear-pitched
strings make the high notes. In note when struck.
families of instruments, such as
saxophones or the violin family,
the smaller instruments play the The larger bars
higher notes. Tuned percussion produce the
lower notes.
instruments, such as the ◁ Xylophone
xylophone, have a set of bars A member of the tuned
graded from large (low notes) percussion family,
to small (high notes). xylophones have wooden
bars and resonating
tubes that help pick
up the vibrations and
amplify them.