Frequency & Pitch

This lesson is part of the Fundamentals of Sound & Music module.

Objectives

• Student will be able to define the difference between a sinusoidal and complex wave.
• Student will be able to derive a harmonic series given a fundamental pitch.
• Student will be able to identify whether a sound is harmonic or not on a spectrogram, frequency graph, and oscilloscope.
• Students will understand how frequency relates to the aural concept of pitch.
• Students will understand how frequencies of multiple waveforms interact.
• Students will understand the difference between absolute and relative pitch.

Resources

Readings

• "Pure Tones & Complex Sounds." (Smack My Pitch Up).
• "Phase and Harmonics." (Project Studio Handbook).
• "Complex Sounds." (Project Studio Handbook).
• "Beats and Harmonics." (Smack My Pitch Up).
• "Frequency and Pitch." (Physclips, UNSW).

Listening & Videos

• A.M. Hefele. "Overtone Singing Demonstration"

Tools

• Chrome Music Lab: Spectrogram
• Academo Virtual Oscilloscope
• Szynalski Online Tone Generator
• (Software) Audacity
• Teropa Harmonics Explorer

Class Activities

• Discussion and definition of frequency, pitch, amplitude, and waveform diagrams.
• Investigation of variables using waveform diagrams.
• Demonstration of the combination of two sounds (inducing beats), and the visualization of the process as waveform diagrams.
• Demonstration of harmonic combinations and decomposition.
• Use of an oscilloscope and spectrogram to analyze and compare different sounds.
• Demonstration of harmonic series using brass instruments.

Assignments

• Drawing/analyzing waveform diagrams.
• Harmonics worksheet