Sound

























Sound production

Sound begins with the vibration of an object that creates waves in a surrounding medium (usually air, but it can be a liquid or even a solid). The waves reach our eardrums, which, in turn, vibrate. This vibration sends signals to our brain, which interprets the sounds.

Sound waves are measured by their two primary components: “frequency,” or the number of times the wave vibrates in one second (measured in hertz), and “amplitude,” or the height of the wave (measured in decibels). These waves can be simple or complex. If they contain multiple frequencies, they are called “complex waveforms.” Simple and complex waveforms are the fundamental building blocks of all music.
 

Click an instrument name to see how it produces sound. Take a look at how the waveform changes with each instument's pitch and frequency.