Which property describes the tone color of a sound?

Which property describes the tone color of a sound?

• A. Pitch
• B. Duration
• C. Timbre
• D. Volume

Answer: (C)

Tone color, or timbre, is what lets you hear the distinct character of a sound beyond how high or low it is (pitch) and how loud it is (volume) or how long it lasts (duration). It comes from the instrument’s overtones and how the note starts and ends—the harmonic content and envelope shape—so the same note played on a flute or a violin still sounds different. That difference in timbre is what carries the “color” of the sound. Pitch refers to frequency, duration to the length of the note, and volume to its amplitude; none of those alone define the sound’s color.

Tone color, or timbre, is what lets you hear the distinct character of a sound beyond how high or low it is (pitch) and how loud it is (volume) or how long it lasts (duration). It comes from the instrument’s overtones and how the note starts and ends—the harmonic content and envelope shape—so the same note played on a flute or a violin still sounds different. That difference in timbre is what carries the “color” of the sound. Pitch refers to frequency, duration to the length of the note, and volume to its amplitude; none of those alone define the sound’s color.