#1
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What is "tone"?
I recently came across this post in relation to torrefied tops:
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How would you answer the question, what is "tone"? |
#2
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Good question. Tone is difficult to describe in words because it is very subjective.
Per the dictionary... tone /tōn/ noun plural noun: tones 1. a musical or vocal sound with reference to its pitch, quality, and strength. "the piano tone appears monochrome or lacking in warmth" synonyms: timbre, sound, sound quality, voice, voice quality, color, tone color, tonality, resonance, ring "bassoons add considerably to the tone of the tuba" Here is a good description of timbre... Timbre is the term for the color, or sound, of music. For example, a cello and a clarinet may play the same note at the same volume, but you can still hear the different music made by each. Timbre refers to the frequencies that compose the individual sounds. Some descriptive words in relation to timbre are: Loud Soft Brassy Gentle Natural Melodious Raucous Strong Smooth Rich Distinct Deep Thick Mellow Shrill Reedy Thin Breathy Rounded Full Clear Piercing Strident Harsh Warm Resonant Bright Dark Flat Light Last edited by JMW01; 08-06-2019 at 11:01 PM. |
#3
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It is always hard to describe that which can only be experienced
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#4
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Quote:
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(insert famous quote here) |
#5
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What is colour? Discuss
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Faith Mars FRMG Faith Neptune FKN Epiphone Masterbilt Texan |
#6
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Hi Andrew, I guess you either "see it" or you don't - for tone replace hear for see.
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Silly Moustache, Just an old Limey acoustic guitarist, Dobrolist, mandolier and singer. I'm here to try to help and advise and I offer one to one lessons/meetings/mentoring via Zoom! |
#7
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Tone or timbre is the collection of harmonics above the fundamental vibration that we hear as the pitch of a note. There's other aspects to a note - extraneous sounds like pick noise, fret buzz, finger squeak that could be perceived as part of tone but the harmonics (produced mainly by the body of an instrument and then whatever initiated the vibration) that are tone .. imo.
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#8
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Well, seeing as I'm colour blind I'm basically screwed from the start!
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Faith Mars FRMG Faith Neptune FKN Epiphone Masterbilt Texan |
#9
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“Tone” is what the guitar you want but don’t have... has.
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#10
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Colors are the frequencies of electromagnetic radiation, within a certain bandwidth, not absorbed by an object. The radiation is reflected to our eyes and our brains interpret it as color.
Tone is in the ear of the beholder.
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I don't have a bunch of guitars because they all sound just like me. 1984 Carvin LB-40 bass 1986 Carvin DC-125 two humbucker 1996 Taylor 412 La Patrie Concert 2012 American Standard Telecaster 1981 Carvin DC 100 Harley Benton LP JR DC Bushman Delta Frost & Suzuki harmonicas Artley flute Six-plus decade old vocal apparatus Last edited by alnico5; 08-07-2019 at 05:51 AM. |
#11
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Tone is what you see with your ears.
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#12
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Quote:
I personally would say that tone refers (when talking about the tone of a guitar), to the overall sound it makes when you play a note or chord. |
#13
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You have to use actual words to describe tone. I thought of an experiment one time where you would have 100 people and maybe 50 guitars or so. The people would go into a booth one by one and listen to each guitar play the same chords and rhythms and write down what they think the tone sounds like. Then you could collect that data and analyze it. Each word would be associated with a a particular set of frequencies and even better might be to compare those words with the mechanics of the guitar and possibly even the materials the guitar is made of.
Then when someone says that a guitar sounds woody, or tinny, or tight and so on you might have an actual data set to know what that means. For now though it's mostly interpretive. Even when some of us thing the tone of a guitar is fantastic others will disagree. So it's always an interesting topic of discussion. Most luthiers seem to agree that a guitar top with a strong fundamental and a very good monopole mobility will be a guitar that is in balance and rich in overtones. How you choose to describe that is on your own. |
#14
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...and the guitar you have but don't want...doesn't...
...or so you have convinced yourself... duff Be A Player...Not A Polisher |
#15
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Well, interesting discussion.
I am inclined to talk of tone as predominant string sounds like bassier, clearer or quite equilibrate (which I now understand as missing mid predominance). I also use an expression of my own to describe the rounder sound of my Larrivee OM-09 : It is "Root beer" compared to Coca Cola. I would say there is some "color" added to the sound.
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Needed some nylons, a wide range of acoustics and some weirdos to be happy... |