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    UNIT 1. Sound

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    lamikam2
    This document discusses sound and music. It defines sound as a vibrating wave that travels through air, water or solid objects until reaching a receiver like the ear. It describes how sound waves travel through the ear canal to the brain. The document also discusses reverb, echo, and silence. It outlines the four qualities of sound: pitch, duration, intensity, and timbre. For each quality, it provides details on what it is and how it is measured. The document includes activities where students listen to musical pieces and identify the predominant qualities of sound. It concludes with an activity where students work in groups to compose original music using the different sound qualities.

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    UNIT 1. Sound

    Uploaded by

    lamikam2
    3 views9 pages
    This document discusses sound and music. It defines sound as a vibrating wave that travels through air, water or solid objects until reaching a receiver like the ear. It describes how sound waves travel through the ear canal to the brain. The document also discusses reverb, echo, and silence. It outlines the four qualities of sound: pitch, duration, intensity, and timbre. For each quality, it provides details on what it is and how it is measured. The document includes activities where students listen to musical pieces and identify the predominant qualities of sound. It concludes with an activity where students work in groups to compose original music using the different sound qualities.

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    This document discusses sound and music. It defines sound as a vibrating wave that travels through air, water or solid objects until reaching a receiver like the ear. It describes how sound waves travel through the ear canal to the brain. The document also discusses reverb, echo, and silence. It outlines the four qualities of sound: pitch, duration, intensity, and timbre. For each quality, it provides details on what it is and how it is measured. The document includes activities where students listen to musical pieces and identify the predominant qualities of sound. It concludes with an activity where students work in groups to compose original music using the different sound qualities.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    3 views9 pages

    UNIT 1. Sound

    Uploaded by

    lamikam2
    This document discusses sound and music. It defines sound as a vibrating wave that travels through air, water or solid objects until reaching a receiver like the ear. It describes how sound waves travel through the ear canal to the brain. The document also discusses reverb, echo, and silence. It outlines the four qualities of sound: pitch, duration, intensity, and timbre. For each quality, it provides details on what it is and how it is measured. The document includes activities where students listen to musical pieces and identify the predominant qualities of sound. It concludes with an activity where students work in groups to compose original music using the different sound qualities.

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    UNIT 1. SOUND. 1º E.S.O.

    Activity 1. From your point of view, what is MUSIC? Write your answer below:
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………

    1. SOUND:

    Sound is a vibrating wave that travels at high speeds through a medium (air, water or a
    solid object) until reaching a receiver (e.g. our ears).
    Sound travels through the air at 340 meters per second, and even faster through water
    (1435 m/s) and solid objects (5000 m/s through iron).

    1.1. HOW WE HEAR:

    1
    Sound waves reach our ear, travel through the ear canal and hit the tympanic membrane
    or eardrum, which connects our outer and middle ear, transmitting these vibrations to
    the brain as nerve impulses through the Eustachian tube.

    1.2. REVERB AND ECHO:

    These two phenomena are produced when sound waves find obstacles in their way.

    -Reverb: It is produced when sound waves find an obstacle up to 17 meters/metres


    away. As a result, sound is amplified. (e.g. when we speak or sing in an empty room).
    -Echo: It is produced when the obstacle is more than 17 metres/meters away, reflecting
    sound separately.
    Reverb and echo are so useful in nature. For example, a sonar e mits an acoustic signal or
    sound into the water. If an object is in the path of the sound pulse, the sound bounces off the
    object and returns an “echo” to the sonar that let know which object is there and its depth in
    the water. Also, bats use these phenomena to find their way avoiding obstacles.

    2
    - 1.3. SILENCE:

    Activity 2: What is silence? According to you, does silence exist?

    ……………………………………………………………………………………………
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………
    ……………………………………………………………………………………………

    Silence would be the lack of sound, but absolute sound does not exist, because, even in
    an isolated place, we would continue hearing our body´s inner sounds. (e.g. 4´33´´. John
    Cage. Aula Virtual).

    In music, we use the term REST to refer to silence, and it has several functions such as
    a break during a performance (you can breath if a wind instrument player), a previous
    condition to music (we need silence to listen to music) or a resource of expressiveness
    (e.g. in a horror film).

    Activity 3: Listen to the following pieces.

    Track 1:

    Track 2:

    3
    1. Which instrument/s performs these sheets?
    T1……………………. T2…………………………

    2. Mark the rest signs on the sheets. How many parts (phrases in music) could you find
    on them?
    T1……………………. T2………………………..

    4. Which sensations do these rests produce on you?


    ……………………………………………………………………………………………
    …………………………………………………………………………………………….

    5. Do you know who are the composers and what are the name of the pieces?
    T1………………………………………………………………………………………….
    T2………………………………………………………………………………………….

    4
    2. QUALITIES OF SOUND:

    The qualities of sound are parameters that allow us to identify the different types of
    sound. There are four qualities of sound: Pitch, Duration, Intensity and Timbre.

    * Pitch: It is a quality that divide the sounds into high and low. Pitch depends on the
    wave frequency (number of vibrations per second). It is measured in Hertzes (Hz). We
    can listen to sounds between 20 (infrasounds – so low)) and 20.000 Hz (ultrasounds –
    so high).

    * Duration: It is a quality that divide the sounds into long and short. It depends on the
    wave persistence (how long a sound lasts until fading out).

    * Intensity: It is a quality that divide the sounds into loud and soft. It depends on the
    wave amplitude (the bigger amplitude, the bigger intensity). It is measured in Decibels
    (dB). We can listen to sounds between 0 dB to 120 dB.

    Noise pollution is considered to be any unwanted or disturbing sound that affects the
    health and well-being of humans and other organisms. The World Health Organization
    (WHO) defines noise above 65 decibels (dB) as noise pollution. Sounds that reach 85
    decibels or higher can irreversibly harm a person’s ears, even losing hearing (a subway
    train can reach between 90 to 115 decibels, a loud rock concert between 110 to 120 dB,
    and a siren between 120 to 140 dB).

    5
    * Timbre: Its is a quality of sound that allow us to distinguish the sound of different
    voices and instruments, and identify them. It depends of the mixture of harmonic
    sounds. Every instrument or voice has its inner timbre. In the case of human voice,
    timbre can be inherited from our parents.

    QUALITY SOUNDS Produced by…

    PITCH High Wave frequency

    (Hz)

    Low

    DURATION Long Wave persistence

    6
    Short

    INTENSITY Loud Wave amplitude

    (Db)

    Soft

    TIMBRE Voice Harmonic sounds

    Instrument

    Activity 4: Listen to the following pieces.

    1. Piotr Tchaikovsky. Sugar plum fairy. The nutcracker.


    2. Jean Sibelius. Finland.
    3. Frederic Chopin: Fantaisie-Impromptu.
    4. Richard Strauss. Also spoke Zarathustra.

    According to you, which quality of sound (or types of sound) predominated on them?
    (1 or 2 types, possible).

    1……………………………………………………………………….
    2 ……………………………………………………………………...
    3 ………………………………………………………………………
    4 ……………………………………………………………………...

    Activity 5: Composing music.

    In groups, create a musical piece or a Soundtrack using the different qualities of sound
    and types of sound studied in this unit.

    7
    a) Try to tell a story and reflect an atmosphere. Write a short story in english creating 4
    ppt slides. Give it a title.
    b) Decide the timbre (different instruments) you will use in your composition.
    c) Write a sheet with alternative graphic notation representing your performance. You
    have to write every instrument in a different line and reflect duration, intensity and
    pitch.
    d) One of you should conduct the piece and read the story on the slide show.

    8
    KEY WORDS:

    Wave: onda
    Receiver: receptor
    Ear canal: canal auditivo
    Tympanic membrane or eardrum: tímpano
    Eustachian tube: trompa de eustaquio
    Reverb: reverberación
    To Bounce off: rebotar
    Echo: eco
    Rest: silencio
    Pitch: altura
    Duration: duración
    Intensity: intensidad
    Timbre: timbre
    High: agudo
    Low: grave
    Long: largo
    Short: corto
    To fade out: desvanecerse, desaparecer
    To measure: medir
    Hertzes: Hercios
    Loud: fuerte
    Soft: suave
    Decibels: decibelios
    Noise pollution: contaminación acústica
    Inherited: heredado
    Soundtrack: banda sonora
    Sheet: partitura
    Performance: interpretación
    To conduct: dirigir

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