Home Preparation for National Talent Search Examination (NTSE)/ Olympiad
Chapter : 5. Sound
Characteristic of Sound - Quality
(C) QUALITY Quality of a sound is also called timbre. The quality of sound is the characteristic which enable us to distinguish between the sounds produced by different sources. The more pleasant sound is said to be of rich quality. A sound of single frequency (called pure sound) is called a tone. A tuning fork produces the sound of a single frequency. The sound which is a mixture of several frequencies is called an impure sound (or note) is pleasant to listen. Different instruments, depending on their shape and size, produce different number of harmonics of different relative loudness. As a result, the sound produced by an instrument can be distinguished from that produced by other instruments.