Sound and Musical Instrument Research

What is sound?

Sound is a vibration that propagates as a series of compressions and rarefactions through a

medium such as a solid, liquid or gas.

What is the pitch of an instrument?

The pitch of an instrument is the rate or frequency of the sound produced by the
instrument. Higher frequencies result in higher or shriller pitches and lower frequencies
result in lower or deeper pitches.

What is my chosen instrument?

My chosen instrument is the Harmonica. It is a free reed wind instrument.

Describe the instrument, comparing it with other similar instruments.

The harmonica is the only instrument in its family to be of such a small form factor, as it is
easily able to fit in a pocket. Many other free reed wind instruments, such as the
harmonium and accordion, have much bigger form factors. However, in addition to having
to be blown (either by mouth or by mechanical or electrical movements), they also have
keys to control the pitch of the sound produced, resembling a wind-powered piano-like
instrument. The harmonica is usually made of plastic, wood or metal.

How does it produce sound? What roles do diff erent parts of the instrument play?

The basic parts of the Harmonica are the comb, reed plates and cover plates. The comb
consists of a series of holes which let air from the players mouth in. The air from here then
flows to the reed plate. The reed plate is a series of tubes/holes of different length which
will play different pitches depending on which hole was blown through. This will then pass
through the cover plate, of which there are two types – traditional open designs or enclosed
designs, which offer a quieter tonal quality. Some harmonicas may have wind-savers, which
block air from going through different layers of reeds when different notes are played. All of
these transition the movement of the wind blown through the player’s mouth into music.

How do we control pitch of your instrument? What part of the instrument, or acti ons
of the player help in controlling the pitch?

The pitch of the harmonica is generally controlled by the left-right movement of the
harmonica to play different reeds. However, on a chromatic harmonica, a press of a button
can also change the tone of the instrument by changing the reed plate being used.
How do we change amplitude of the instrument? What parts or acti ons bring that
change?

The amplitude of the instrument may sometimes be changed using a different cover plate,
with an open cover plate making the instrument louder and an enclosed cover plate making
it quieter. But generally, an electronic amplifier is used.

What role does the shape of the instrument play in producing music? Would its length,
size, material it is made of, number of strings, the way it is played etc make any
diff erence to the quality of sounds it produces?

The shape of the instrument differs depending on the type of harmonica, of which there are
the 10-hole and 16-hole sizes. Each of these types of harmonica play different tones. There
is dispute over whether the material of the comb of the harmonica makes a difference in
the tone of the harmonica. Naysayers state that unlike the soundboard of a piano or the top
piece of a violin or guitar, a harmonica’s comb is too small and does not vibrate freely
enough to play a substantial difference in tone. However, supports argue with the proof of
hearing differing sounds with their ears. However, few argue over whether the smoothness
of the comb or air tightness when mated with the reed plates makes a noticeable difference
to the tone of the instrument.

Summary

To summarise, the harmonica is a free reed musical instrument with a series of holes for the
player to blow through to control pitch. It mainly consists of a comb, reed plates and cover
plates. There are 10-hole and 16-hole variants, along with different types of harmonica.