What four properties does a single isolated sound contain?

What four properties does a single isolated sound contain?

• A. Frequency, amplitude, tempo, and color
• B. Loudness, duration, shape, and texture
• C. Attack, decay, sustain, release
• D. Pitch, duration, volume, and timbre

Answer: (D)

Think about what defines a single, isolated sound. Its pitch tells you how high or low it sounds, which comes from the vibration frequency. Its duration is how long the sound lasts. Its volume describes how loud it is. Its timbre, or tone color, is what gives the sound its unique quality—what distinguishes, say, a piano note from a violin note with the same pitch and length, due to the spectrum of overtones and the way the sound is produced. Other options mix concepts that don’t describe a lone sound. Tempo refers to the speed of a sequence of notes, not a single event. Shape or texture aren’t standard labels for a single tone. And attack/decay/sustain/release describe how the sound’s amplitude changes over time, not the inherent properties of the sound itself.

Think about what defines a single, isolated sound. Its pitch tells you how high or low it sounds, which comes from the vibration frequency. Its duration is how long the sound lasts. Its volume describes how loud it is. Its timbre, or tone color, is what gives the sound its unique quality—what distinguishes, say, a piano note from a violin note with the same pitch and length, due to the spectrum of overtones and the way the sound is produced.

Other options mix concepts that don’t describe a lone sound. Tempo refers to the speed of a sequence of notes, not a single event. Shape or texture aren’t standard labels for a single tone. And attack/decay/sustain/release describe how the sound’s amplitude changes over time, not the inherent properties of the sound itself.