Unit 4 - Timbre

UNIT 4: Timbre
Table of Contents
Introduction 2
Review 3
Lesson 1: Vocal Timbre 4

Learning Targets 4
Let’s Warm Up! 4
Learn about It! 5
Check Your Understanding 8
Challenge Yourself! 8
Let’s Jam! 9
Lesson 2: Instrumental Ensemble 10

Learning Targets 10
Let’s Warm Up! 10
Learn about It! 11
Check Your Understanding 13
Challenge Yourself! 14
Let’s Jam! 14
Did You Know? 15
Web Links 15
Performance Task 16
Self-Check 17
Wrap Up 18
Bibliography 19
Glossary 19
1
Copyright © 2018 Quipper Limited
GRADE 5
UNIT 4
Timbre
Fig. 1. Timbre
Introduction
Do you remember the moments you really want to describe the sounds that you hear?
Sometimes you describe a particular sound by saying its qualities or by likening it to a certain
feeling, color, or experience. In other words, there is always a unique sound from a particular
voice or instrument. This distinct characteristic of a sound in music is what we call, Timbre. It
can also be called a tone color. It is what helps us differentiate a trumpet from a flute or a
man’s voice from a child’s voice even though they are singing in the same pitch or are the
same in loudness.
2
In this unit, you will learn more about timbre, and how instruments and voices of different
timbres come together to form an ensemble.
Review
● Timbre is the sound quality or color of an instrument or voice.
3
Lesson 1: Vocal Timbre
Learning Targets
In this lesson, you should be able to:

● recognize different vocal timbres;
● differentiate between sopranos, altos, tenors, and basses;
● demonstrate ensemble performance skills.
Choir singing combines different vocal timbres to present beautiful pieces. It harmonizes
different types of voice qualities that are produced by men and women. What are different
voice timbres?
Let’s Warm Up!
1. Listen to the “Circle of Life” rendition of the Philippine Madrigal Singers in Youtube.
2. On a piece of paper, describe the kinds of sounds you have heard.
3. Discuss with your classmate.
4
L
earn about It!
Vocal Timbre indicates the unique qualities of the human singing voice. It helps in classifying
voices whether the vocal sounds come from men or women. Vocal Timbre helps composers
and listeners in giving roles for the voices and highlight unique vocal properties of every voice.
For example, if there is a role of an angel in a piece, as much as possible the composers would
like a high and light sounding voice, and so he or she picks that kind of sound quality and
assign it to a high and light-voiced individual.
In a typical choral piece, there are four kinds of vocal timbre namely: soprano, alto, tenor,
and bass. These vocal timbres can be divided into two main categories: the high voices and
the low voices.
Fig 1.1 C
hoir Singing with both male and female.
5
High Voices
The high voice is called soprano. It usually sings the high sounding melody in songs. Most of
the time, this voice is produced by women and prepubescent boys. It is the highest voice in
all of the vocal timbres. Most of the sound produced by this voice timbre comes with a light
and rounded head voice.
On the other hand, the high voice for adult men is called tenor. It is described to hold the high
melody for the men and is often described as a heroic voice.
Low Voices
The low voice produced by women and prepubescent boys is called alto. It usually sings the
middle voices or the speaking ranges in songs. Most of the time, they sing with their chest
tones.
Nevertheless, the low voice for adult men is called bass. The bass often sings the tones that
support the choir. They usually sing the lowest of all the tunes in the choir.
Importance of Dividing Vocal Timbre
The purpose of dividing vocal timbre help singers become comfortable in singing a given
range of pitches. Some high melodic lines could be difficult or straining for alto, and so in
arranging the piece, the arranger or composer could give the line to the sopranos. All in all,
the classification of vocal timbre is done to give out a clear and strong sound from each voice
section.
6
T
ry It Yourself
1. Discover your own voice by going to this link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mNppbS_p5qA
2. You can try to see the range of your voice and try to see if the timbre of your voice is for
a soprano, alto, tenor, or bass.
3. Seek the most comfortable range for yourself.
T
ry It Yourself
1. Sing your favorite song. It may be a popular song or a folk song.

2. Sing it in front of your seatmate.
3. On a piece of paper, describe each others’ voice sounds, vocal production, and vocal
quality.
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Check Your Understanding
Fill in the blanks with the correct answers.
1. __________________ indicates the unique qualities of the human singing voice.
2. In a choral piece, there are (how many) ________ kinds of vocal timbre.
3. Vocal timbre helps composers and listeners in giving ___________ for the voices and
highlight unique vocal properties of every voice.
4. Vocal timbres can be divided into two main categories: the __________ voice and the
____________ voice.
5. The high voice produced by women and pre-pubescent boys is called __________.
6. The low voice produced by women and pre-pubescent boys is called __________.
7. The high voice produced by adult men is called _______________.
8. The low voice produced by adult men is called _______________.
9. The purpose of dividing vocal timbre is to help singers become _________________ in
singing a given range of pitches.
10.Classifying vocal timbre also helps in providing a ________ and __________ sound from
each voice section.
hallenge Yourself!
C
Answer each number by providing the most appropriate vocal timbre needed for the
situation. Write if the needed vocal timbre is a soprano, alto, tenor, or bass.
____________________ 1. The composer needs singers to sing a very high melody for the women
of his choir.
____________________ 2. The arranger needs singers for the low, supporting tones of the male
and female choir.
____________________ 3. The piece needs singers to sing within the speaking range and chest
voice in women.
____________________ 4. The piece needs the men singers to sing a very high melody.
____________________ 5. The song requires that prepubescent boys sing the top voice.
8
Let’s Jam!
1. Form groups of 4 and know who can sing the high parts and the low parts.
2. Sing this choir piece, “I love you Lord, and I lift my voice!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRJAVBDpeco
3. Learn it the way the arranger wants you to sing it.
4. Perform the piece in tune and harmonize as a choir.
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Lesson 2: Instrumental Ensemble
Learning Targets
In this lesson, you should be able to:

● recognize timbre in instruments;
● classify sources of sound;
● describe the timbre of instruments in the Philippine Ensembles such as rondalla,
drum and lyre band, and Pangkat Kawayan ensembles.
Let’s Warm Up!
1. Here is a video where you can learn timbre in instruments.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tGEDgkZlC8).
2. Write down important notes you’ve learned on your notebook.
10
Learn about It!
Timbre is an element of music that makes us distinguish an instrument from another
instrument even when the instruments are playing the same note or at the same level of
volume. We come to know that each instrument we encounter in music has its own unique
sound quality. Sound qualities of instruments can be described as dull or brilliant, cold or
warm, bright or dark, brassy or nasally, and pure or rich and it depends on how the listener
perceives the sound from the instrument.
This element is usually affected by the materials an instrument is made of, the shape and size
of the instrument, and the manner of how the instrument is played.
Instrumental Ensembles in the Philippines
Rondalla
In the Philippines, we have several kinds of instrument ensembles housing different kinds of
instruments. The instruments are varied and can be made up of different kinds of materials.
In the lowlands of Luzon, a famous ensemble is called the rondalla. It is an ensemble of
plucked strings being in harmony with each other. Usually, the strings are plucked by a
plectrum and each note of the melody is played fastly and repeatedly. The instruments are
made of wood and string such as the bandurria and the bajo de arco. Listen to how they are
different from each other.
● Bandurria: The bandurria is often high-pitched, bright, and ringing in sound. For sound
reference, look for “14 string Filipino Bandurria” on Youtube.
● Bajo de arco: The bajo de arco sounds very warm, muffled, and low in sound. For
sound reference, look for “Cliff Burton - Anesthesia (Upright Bass cover)” on Youtube.
● When played together they can sound as festive just like the video performance on
Youtube, entitled “JR Roseñan Rondalla - Philippine Air.”
11
Drum and Lyre Band
The Drum and Lyre band in the Philippines is a percussive ensemble known to play in
marching parades. This band served as an alternative to an expensive brass marching band.
The instruments found in this ensemble are drums and bell lyres. The drums are composed of
the snare drum, the bass drum, and the cymbals. They accompany the bell lyres. On the other
hand, the bell lyres are the glockenspiels that have tuned metal bars attached to a tray of a
metal frame. Listen to the sound of the individual instruments found in the ensemble and
describe the sound.
● Snare Drum: It is a kind of drum with a rattling sound. For sound reference, look for
“Snare Drum Samples” on Youtube.
● Bass Drum: It is a kind of drum that is often low but has a very big presence. It is a very
big drum hence it has a very deep sound. For sound reference, look for “The Basses
Extravaganza” on Youtube.
● Glockenspiel: It is a kind of instrument with ringing metals that can play high-pitched
melodies. For sound reference, look for “Lupang Hinirang (Philippine National Anthem) -
Lyre Cover” on Youtube.
● When played together, it sounds like the video performance entitled “Little Big Shots
Philippines: AES Drum & Lyre Band” on Youtube.
Notice that the percussions used are different in sound even though all of them are struck by
a mallet.
12
Pangkat Kawayan
The Pangkat Kawayan is a famous bamboo instrument ensemble in the Philippines. Most of
the instruments are made of bamboo. The instruments are played differently from each
other. Some bamboo instrument are blown and some are tapped. Listen to three bamboo
instruments found in Pangkat Kawayan and observe how each instrument is played.
● Bumbong - a big blown bamboo pipe

● Kalagong - a group of bamboo hollow gongs tapped with tappers to make a sound
● Talunggating - the bamboo marimba played with mallets.
For sound reference, look for “Levi CELERIO Ang Pipit, Ikaw ang Mahal Ko” on Youtube.
The instruments from Pangkat Kawayan usually sound very light and tickling to the ears.
T
ry It Yourself
On a piece of paper, list down the instruments you have heard and describe them in your own
words.
Check Your Understanding
Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. __________________ is an element of music that makes us distinguish an instrument from
another instrument even when it is playing the same note or at the same level of
volume.
2. Each instrument has its own __________________ sound quality.
3. Timbre is affected by the ________________ an instrument is made of, ___________________
13
of the instrument, and the ___________________ of how the instrument is played.
4. ____________________ is an ensemble of plucking strings with a plectrum.
5. ____________________ is a percussive ensemble in the Philippines.
6. ____________________ is a bamboo instrument ensemble in the Philippines.
7. An example of a bell lyre in the ensemble is a _____________________ with tuned metal
bars on a metal frame.
8. _________________ is a blown bamboo instrument.
9. _________________ is a group of bamboo hollow gong tapped with tappers.
10._________________ is a bamboo marimba.
Challenge Yourself!
Write True if the statement is correct and False if the statement is incorrect.
______________________ 1. The snare drum has a rattling percussive sound.
______________________ 2. The glockenspiel has a metallic sound that can play high-pitched
melodies.
______________________ 3. The bumbong sounds like it’s a tapped gong.
______________________ 4. The bajo de arco sounds high-pitched and has several repeated tones.
______________________ 5. The talunggating sound like a marimba but with the lightness of the
sound of the bamboo.
Let’s Jam!
1. Review all the instruments you have heard and your description of its timbre.
2. On a piece of paper, draw an instrument that you can relate your personality with.
3. Describe your personality alongside the qualities of the instrument you’ve chosen.
14
Did You Know?
Timbre is actually a French word and was a word borrowed by the English thrice. It was
adopted three times and had different meanings as well. For the first two times, it meant as a
kind of drum and to a crest on a coat of arms. But the third time that it was borrowed, it
meant the quality of sound by a voice or an instrument. The third meaning was the one that
survived through the ages.
W
eb Links
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRAXK4QKJ1Q
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjJLAcDb_MU
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4toE__coJAE
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxi55bMAOPA
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwI80TX9U1Q
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y38MYxnBsgE
● http://www.cabrillo.edu/~mstrunk/Lectures/Timbre_and_Musical_Instruments.pdf
15
Performance Task
Painting Music for Movies
Purpose:
At the end of this activity, the students should be able to:
● create a composition appropriate for a given movie scene;
● provide instruments that are fit for the scenes; and
● demonstrate proper technique in playing instruments to get the right sound.
Role: You are composers, and you are commissioned to create a soundscape appropriate for
a particular scene in a movie.
Competence: You should be able to compose a piece with the use of different instruments,
vocal sounds, and sound effects to provide a soundscape for the trailer.
Procedures:
1. Form a group of five.
2. Create a trailer, where the character of the movie walks through a place where plenty of
sounds could be encountered.
3. Use your voices, instruments, nature sounds and the like and compose a piece to make
the experience believable. Just make sure that your piece must have the elements of
vocal timbre and instrumentation.
4. It can be as long as 1 minute up to 2 minutes.
5. Present the trailer to your class with the music you composed and tell them the
instruments and voice timbres you used and how you used them.
16
Key Guide Questions
1. What instruments can be used to let the people experience the trailer?
2. How should the instrumental sounds be played?
3. How should the sounds be organized into the piece?
Reflective Questions
1. Do the timbres of the sound fit the experience?

2. Are we painting a good image with the sounds we use?
Self-Check
Check I can…
Explain the meaning of Timbre
Identify different vocal timbres
Differentiate between the timbres of instruments in an ensemble
17
Wrap Up
18
Bibliography
Wood, Sienna. 2016. Timbre. Accessed by March 3, 2019.

http://www.musiccrashcourses.com/lessons/timbre.html
Garcia, Inma. 2016. Vocal Timbres and Voice Classification. Accessed by March 3,
2019https://prezi.com/eiczv1kvyypd/vocal-timbres-and-voice-classification/
Merriam-Webster. 2019. ‘Etymology of Timbre’. Accessed by March 3, 2019.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/timbre#other-words
Drum and Lyre Corps. Accessed by March 3, 2019
https://www.revolvy.com/page/Drum-and-lyre-corps
Glossary
Alto refers to the low female voice.

Bass refers to the low voice for men.
Drum and Lyre refers to an ensemble that plays percussive instruments while
marching.
Pangkat Kawayan r efers to the bamboo orchestra in the Philippines.
Rondalla refers to an ensemble in the Philippines where they practice plucking strings.
Soprano refers to the highest female voice.
Tenor refers to high voice of men.
Timbre refers to sound quality of voice or instruments.
Vocal Timbre r efers to sound quality of voice.
19

Unit 4 - Timbre

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UNIT 4: Timbre

Lesson 1: Vocal Timbre 4

Lesson 2: Instrumental Ensemble 10

Did You Know? 15

Fig. 1​. Timbre

● Timbre ​is the sound quality or color of an instrument or voice.

In this lesson, you should be able to:

Let’s Warm Up!

Importance of Dividing Vocal Timbre

1. Discover your own voice by going to this link.

1. Sing your favorite song. It may be a popular song or a folk song.

In this lesson, you should be able to:

Let’s Warm Up!

1. Here is a video where you can learn timbre in instruments.

Instrumental Ensembles in the Philippines

● Bumbong​ -​ a big blown bamboo pipe

Check Your Understanding

Fill in the blanks with the correct answer.

1. Do the timbres of the sound fit the experience?

Explain the meaning of Timbre

Identify different vocal timbres

Differentiate between the timbres of instruments in an ensemble

Wood, Sienna. 2016. ​Timbre​. Accessed by March 3, 2019.

Alto ​refers to the low female voice.

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Fig. 1. Timbre

● Timbre is the sound quality or color of an instrument or voice.

● Bumbong - a big blown bamboo pipe

Wood, Sienna. 2016. Timbre. Accessed by March 3, 2019.

Alto refers to the low female voice.