THE MEDIUM OF MUSIC

MUSIC – Is an act that deals with sound.

All sound that produced by the human voice.
MUSIC INSTRUMENT – Is a mechanism that is able to generate musical vibration and bunch them
into the air
PROPERTIES OF MUSICAL SOUND

 Pitch
 Duration
 Volume
 Timbre of tone color
 Range

PITCH
The location of the tone in the musical scale in relation to high or low. The shorter a string or
column of air, the more rapidly it vibrates and the higher the pitch the longer the string or

DURATION
It depends on the length of time over which vibration is maintained. Tones are not only high
or low but also short and long.

VOLUME
Refer to the force or percussive effect as a result of which the tone strike us a being loud or
soft.
Forte means loud; and Piano means soft.

TIMBRE OF TONE COLOR

This is the individual quality of sound produced by other instrument. This depends on how
the instrument accentuates the over tones within the found waves.

RANGE
The range of instrument has to do with the total number of tones it can produce from highest
to lowest and it determined largely by the size of the instrument.

FOUR BASIC AREAS OF PITCH RANGE

 Soprano – high female
 Alto – low female
 Tenor – high male
 Bass – low male
Each range is divided into 3 registers
 High
 Middle
 Lows
 THE MEDIUMS IN MUSIC

 Vocal Medium
 Ensemble Medium

 Vocal Medium
It is most personal and direct of all instruments as it comes from within the body. The
oldest and still must popular of all instruments on the human voice.

Vocal Reqister
The six classes of vocal register
1. Soprano – high register female voice
2. Mezzo-Soprano – Medium-register female voice
3. Alto or Contralto – low-register female voice
4. Tenor – high-register male voice
5. Baritone – medium-register male voice
6. Mass – low register male voice

Vocal Qualities
Voices are also classified according to tier timber or quality of sound

1. Coloratura Soprano – It is the highest and lightest of all voice

2. Lyric Soprano – Voice is less high and flute like and usually sing or less arnamental
music
3. Dramatic Soprano – Voice is heavier and can convey intense emotion in dramatic
situation
4. Mezzo Soprano – Voice is between the soprano and contralto in quality and range
5. Contralto – Voice is low and rich in quality
6. Tenor – The highest type in men’s voice
7. Lyric Tenor – Has a voice especially suited to sweet song like melodies
8. Dramatic Tenor – Has a heavier voice and is capable of conveying intense emotion in
dramatic situations.
9. Baritone – Voice has a range between tenor and bass
10. Bass – Voice has the lowest and deepest quality

 INSTRUMENTAL MEDUIM
It is a musical composition or recording without lyrics. It is now associated with
recorded music.
Also known as minus one, hybrids and score.
Instrumental medium pertains to the different instrument played by musicians.

 Minus one – Are musical composition that were originally recorded with vocals but later had
the vocals removed to become an instrumental work.

 Hybirds – Are musical works that are all instrument works with brief vocals

 Scores – With the film score and sheet music as its kind are musical pieces that service as
accompaniment, music is used in operas and live theatrical shows.
 THE DIFFERENT MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

Musical Instrument – Any device for producing a musical sound

 Musical Instrument
 String Instrument
 Wind Instrument
 Percussion Instrument
 Keyboard Instrument
STRING INSTRUMENT
String Instrument – Provide the basic orchestral sounds. They produced tones by means of
vibration of a streched string.

TWO CLASSIFICATION OF STRING INSTRUMENT

1. Bowing - The bow consist of a stick with hany hair streched between its and causes a
stick – slip phenomenon that makes the string vibrate.
2. Plucking – Uses a finger or a plastic plectism to pluck the string.

BOWED STRING

VIOLEN
Is the highest member of the string section of orchestra. It is
capable of brilliance and dramatic effect. It can be played very
quietly or loudly. Very slowly or extremely fast.

VIOLA
It is slightly larger than violin, its string are longer, thicker and
heavier. It is use more for harmony than melody.
 CELLO
Much longer than viola. The string are thicker and heavier than those
of the viola. The bow is shorter and heavier and it has to be held
between the knee of a sealed performer. If the violin is the soprano
of the string section and the viola is the alto then, the cello is the
tenor.

PLUCKED STRING

GUITAR
It is a fretter musical instrument that typically has six string. It is
usually held that against the players body and played by strumming
or plucking.

BANJO
Is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to
form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular and usually made of plastic.
 LUTE
Is a pluck string instrument with a neck and deep round back
enclosing a hallow cavity. It may be either fretted or unfretted.

THE WIND INSTRUMENT

 Are musical instrument that contain a resonator in which a column of air is set into
vibration by the player blowing into a mouth piece.

Two classification of wind instrument

1. Brass
2. Woodwind
3.
 BRASS
Brass instrument change their pitch by changing the lenght of the tubing with the air passes
through. They are also called labrosones means Lip – vibrated instruments.

HORN
Made of tubing wrapped into a coil flared bell. Normally has a
smooth mellow tone but can be made to sound very brass. It can
be bud or soft lyrical or dramatic.

TRUMPET
It is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and
jazz ensemble.
 CORNET
IT is a brass wind musical instrument of the trumpet
family, consisting of a long looped tube, a feet long.

WOODWIND
 Change their pitch by changing where the air escape. They use a wooden reed to
form the mouthpiece.

FLUTE
Is a cylindrical tube made of silver alloy or
metal. It is the coloratura soprano of the
woodwind choir. Its tone is cool and velvety
in the low register but in its upper register,
the sound is bright.

PICCOLO
The smaller flute. It produce the highest
notes in the orchestra. Tone produced are
piercing and shill.
(piercing means – high pitch and very
sharp)

PERCUSSION INSTRUMENT
 Are musical instrument sounded by being struck or beaten.

Two classification of percussion instrument

1. Pitch percussion
2. Unpitched percussion

 Pitch percussion have definite pitch such as xylophones and glockenspiel.

 Unpitched percussion have indeterminate pitch and maintained ryhythm.
 PITCH PERCUSSION

GLOCKENSPIEL
Glockenspiel or bells is a percussion instrument
consisting of pitched aluminum or steel bars
arranged in a keyboard layout.

XYLOPHONES
Is a Musical instrument in the percussion
family that consist of wooden bars struck by
mallets.

UNPITCHED PERCUSSION

CYMBALS
A Musical instrument consisting of a slightly
concave round brass plate which is either
struck against another one or struck with a
stick to make a ringing or clashing sound.
 KEYBOARD INSTRUMENT
 These instrument are operated by means of a keyboard which consist of a series of black
and white keys. Keyboard instrument produce tones in a variety of ways

PIANO
It is the most popular and most widespread of all
instrument. It is widely use in home, in small
orchestra, choir and dance bands

ORGAN
Organ is a principal keyboard instrument but is
has a physical property which make it a woodwind
instrument

CELESTA
The celesta which in appearance resembles a
miniature upright piano.
Is a kind of glockenspeil thats is operated by a
keyboard.