Listening Terminology Application Assignment: Timbre

Jul 12, 2021 | students

Listening Terminology Application Assignment: Timbre

Assignment Learning Outcomes:

  • Identify and describe the various fundamentals concepts of music and music notation symbols by applying traditional terminology.
  • Discuss and compare the various functions, uses, and contexts of music.

Assignment Purpose & Instructions

  • LTAAs are designed to prepare you for writing the Concert Report.
  • In this assignment, I want you to pay close attention to the type of sentences I have you create, and the order in which they come. This is the form I’d like for you to follow in the Concert Report.
  • Provided examples are to give you general guidance on how to construct sentences only. You are NOT to copy them directly, as that constitutes a Code of Conduct violation for plagiarism. Change the words, structure, phrasing enough so that you write your original thoughts, not mine. I am not considering the copying of major term definitions word-for-word plagiarism for these assignments/the Concert Report.

Paragraph Creation

  1. ITEM ONE: Subjective Opinion and Term Identification
    1. Say whether or not you enjoyed the song due to its timbre. Indicate the type and number of timbres present and include the title/artist!
      1. Ex.) I very much enjoyed listening to the variety of distinctive timbres in “Hello Dolly” performed by Louis Armstrong.
  2. ITEM TWO: Term Definition
    1. Define timbre using the definitions from the book/PowerPoint.
  3. ITEM THREE: Timbre Identification
    1. Identify specific instruments whose timbres you will discuss
      1. Ex.) Throughout the song, I noticed especially the timbres of Mr. Armstrong’s voice and his trumpet solo.  
  4. ITEM FOUR: Timbre Attributes (this will take more than one sentence)
    1. In the order you listed them, discuss the instruments and their timbres (comparing and contrasting a voice with an instrument is a great idea):
      1. When discussing VOCAL timbres, you can identify their perceived vocal range as well as vocal registrations used.
        1. Ex.) Based on the pitches he sang, I determined Mr. Armstrong possesses a baritone vocal range and sang the entire song his modal voice.
      1. For specificity, link VOCAL timbres directly to excerpts from sung lyrics:
        1. Ex.) At the beginning when he sang, “Hello Dolly! This is Louis, Dolly!” I felt the timbre of his voice was a bit dark and rough.
      1. Remember that pitch and volume will also cause timbral changes:
        1. Ex.) When he began to scat, however, he sang both louder and higher, which caused the timbre of his voice to become brighter yet even more gravely.
      1. When discussing INSTRUMENTAL timbres, you can identify the instrument’s group and orchestral family:
        1. Ex.) His voice contrasted sharply with his trumpet solo, which is an aerophone from the brass family.
      1. Feel free to make analogies in your timbral descriptions:
        1. Ex) The timbre of Mr. Armstrong’s trumpet shone bright and yellow, like a fiery sun.
      1. And again, remember that pitch and volume will cause timbral changes:
        1. Ex) When he played lower pitches in the middle of this solo, the timbre seemed to cool somewhat. He then quickly shot back up high and loud, focusing the timbre like a red laser beam.
  5. ITEM SEVEN: Summary
    1. Wrap it all up, referencing the attributes you addressed, and linking back to your initial opinion.
      1. Ex.) Because of the exciting and contrasting timbres of Mr. Armstrong’s voice and trumpet, I really liked listening to this performance of “Hello Dolly!”  

Paragraph on Timbre

  • An “ideal” response would thus look something like this:

I very much enjoyed listening to the variety of distinctive timbres in “Hello Dolly” performed by Louis Armstrong. Timbre is defined as the tone color or quality of an instrument. Throughout the song, I noticed especially the timbres of Mr. Armstrong’s voice and his trumpet solo.  Based on the pitches he sang, I determined Mr. Armstrong possesses a baritone vocal range and sang the entire song his modal voice. At the beginning when he sang, “Hello Dolly! This is Louis, Dolly!” I felt the timbre of his voice was a bit dark and rough. When he began to scat, however, he sang both louder and higher, which caused the timbre of his voice to become brighter yet even more gravely. His voice contrasted sharply with his trumpet solo, which is an aerophone from the brass family. The timbre of Mr. Armstrong’s trumpet shone bright and yellow, like a fiery sun. When he played lower pitches in the middle of this solo, the timbre seemed to cool somewhat. He then quickly shot back up high and loud, focusing the timbre like a red laser beam. Because of the exciting and contrasting timbres of Mr. Armstrong’s voice and trumpet, I really liked listening to this performance of “Hello Dolly!” 

Specified Listening

  • For the LTAA assessment, you will be working with two new pieces linked below. Excerpts are automatically included for appropriate questions, but if you would like to hear the pieces in their entirety, please use these links: