Timbre Tone Color Analysis

You imagination distinctive visuals through the sense of sound, but how does one get these specific concepts? By timbre (tone color). Through the concepts of voice classification, instrument families and members, and ensemble type you can get a multitude of tone colors. With each tone color comes up a different idea.
Timbre: otherwise known as “tone color”, is the quality of music that identifies a specific instruments sound. Different instruments differentiate by variety/contrast of “color. These tones can be described as mellow, bright, rustic, dark, and in a plethora of other manners. Not only do instruments differ in their own family, but they can also have different colors in each separate instrument. For example, one violin can be quiet and muted while another can be bright and project better.
There are usually
four main voice types: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. Between these four, they belong to two subcategories of gender (i.e. female and male). Females range between soprano and alto; males range between tenor and bass. The categories aren’t completely set by gender as a voice differs by age. Voice classifications add to tone color by allowing “chords” and harmonies to be made. Some voices may be raspy while others have a smoother quality.
While there are four voice classifications for singers, there are also four families that instruments divide into.
There are certain qualifications for an instruments to be in each family. The first, brass, are as they are named, literal brass instruments. Members of the brass family produce sound when the player blows a “raspberry” through the mouth piece. The brass family includes instruments such as the trumpet, French horn, and tuba. Next, the family of strings includes: the violin, viola, cello, bass, guitar(s), and harp. These instruments produce sounds when the string is plucked or bowed. The third group, woodwinds, produce sound by air (like the brass). Air can be blown across an edge or between a reed(s). This group contains clarinets, flutes, oboes, bassoons, and etc. Lastly, is the percussion family; most percussion instruments make sound when hit (like a drum). Others can produce noise by being shaken, scratched, rubbed, etc. Percussion instruments fall into two categories: ones with definite pitch and indefinite pitch. The instrument families all provide very different sounds, thusly adding to the variety of tone colors you can
achieve.
An ensemble can be defined as a group of musicians and/or singers performing a piece of music. Ensembles can range in size, make up, and can differentiate by the type of music being performed. Some can contain very little people, or a large group of people. For example: a duet (2 players) and a trio (3 players) is rather small. Large ensembles, like orchestras, choirs, or bands are strictly for certain sounds. An orchestra can contain a wide variety of sounds (i.e. they can contain only strings, or combine band instruments and/or choirs.) Bands on the other hand come in many different ways but only contain woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Band types include: concert band, marching band, and jazz band as well as many more. Each ensemble type produces a different color tone depending on the makeup and music type.
Voice, instruments, and ensemble all come together to create and perfect tone color (timbre). The unique color of each sound combine into a whole to project a “visual” or theme. A dark and minor tone generates an idea of sadness or horror; a bright and major piece can come across as exciting or happy.