What is Vibration?
An object is said to be vibrating when it is rapidly moving to-and-fro about an equilibrium position (or also called as in an oscillatory motion).
- Ex: In violin, if keenly observed, one can see the string oscillate as it is plucked or bowed.
- So now we know that there must be Vibration, for sound to be produced. In other words, there is no sound without vibration.
- Not every vibration can make an audible sound, but every audible sound is a result of vibration.
What is Sound?
Vibrations of an object that is transmitted through a medium (air, liquid or solid) is referred to as sound.
- That also means, sound cannot transmit without a medium. Sound cannot transmit in vacuum or in outer space for example where there is no air or any medium to transmit the vibrations.
- The vibration of the source reaches human ear as waves of pressure variation in air (considering air as medium here). Ex: When you are listening to music through speakers. What’s essentially happening is that the speaker’s diaphragm is oscillating & pushing the air in front of it, and the same waves are hitting your ears.
What is frequency?
The rate at which the oscillation is happening.
- Ex: If an object is making 1 oscillation (to and fro from the equilibrium point) in one second, it’s measured as 1 Hz. If an object is making 1000 oscillations (to-and-fro from the equilibrium point) in one second, it’s measured as 1000 Hz or also called as 1 KHz.
- Simple right? Faster oscillation/vibration means higher frequency.
- Note: Only frequencies from 20Hz to 20,000Hz are audible to the human ear. Anything lower or higher than this range, won’t be heard. That’s the reason why some vibrations may not be heard as sound.
What is Pitch?
The perceived quality of a sound governed by frequency. Or we could say, pitch is how we perceive frequency. High frequency means high pitch, low frequency means lower pitch. Ex: A baby, bird or woman’s voice is typically high-pitched. And lion or a man’s voice is typically low pitched.
Understanding these fundamentals is essential before we move into musical concepts such as Shruthi and Aadhara Shruthi.
[…] and also know what is frequency & pitch. So, it is strongly recommended to read the blog about Sound, Frequency & Pitch before continuing with this […]