Tutorial 1

Question 1

How are standing waves produced?

Answer 1

standing waves are produced when two wavs moving in opposite directions move through each other, which creates the standing wave pattern, which appears stationary, with nodes, where there is no displacement, and antinodes, where the displacement oscillates with maximum amplitude

Question 2

How are standing waves produced in string instruments?

Answer 2

When a string is excited, this produces standing waves, due to travelling waves being superimposed on their own reflection from the fixed ends of the string. The frequency that can be produced by the instrument are those that relate to an integer number of nodes fitting into its length

Question 3

Which aspect of sound related to amplitude?

Answer 3

loudness/volume

Question 4

which aspect of sound related to frequency?

Answer 4

pitch

Question 5

which aspect of sound related to frequency spectrum?

Answer 5

timbre

Question 6

How does envelope relate to timbre?

Answer 6

The timbre relates to the envelope and frequency spectrum. The envelope determines how the amplitude changes in a time window, as seen with ADSR

Question 7

How does timbre relate to harmonics?

Answer 7

the strength of the different harmonics contributes to the timbre of an instrument

Question 8

Explain the terms ‘just intonation’ and ‘just interval’

Answer 8

The notes on a scale have just intonation if they have been chosen using simple ratios. The intervals between the
notes on such a scale are just intervals.