Editing Music theory (section)

===Timbre===
{{Main|Timbre}}
[[File:9577 Guitarz1970 Clean E9 Guitar Chord (Mike Tribulas).jpg|thumb|right|[[Spectrogram]] of the first second of an E9 chord played on a Fender Stratocaster guitar with noiseless pickups. Below is the E9 chord audio:
[[File:9577 Guitarz1970 Clean E9 Guitar Chord (Mike Tribulas).ogg]] ]]Timbre, sometimes called "color", or "tone color," is the principal phenomenon that allows us to distinguish one instrument from another when both play at the same pitch and volume, a quality of a voice or instrument often described in terms like bright, dull, shrill, etc. It is of considerable interest in music theory, especially because it is one component of music that has as yet, no standardized nomenclature. It has been called "... the psychoacoustician's multidimensional waste-basket category for everything that cannot be labeled pitch or loudness,"{{sfn|McAdams and Bregman|1979|loc=34}} but can be accurately described and analyzed by [[Fourier analysis]] and other methods{{sfn|Mannell|n.d.}} because it results from the combination of all sound [[Audio frequency|frequencies]], attack and release envelopes, and other qualities that a tone comprises.

[[Timbre]] is principally determined by two things: (1) the relative balance of [[overtones]] produced by a given instrument due its construction (e.g. shape, material), and (2) the [[Envelope (waves)|envelope]] of the sound (including changes in the overtone structure over time). Timbre varies widely between different instruments, voices, and to lesser degree, between instruments of the same type due to variations in their construction, and significantly, the performer's technique. The timbre of most instruments can be changed by employing different techniques while playing. For example, the timbre of a trumpet changes when a mute is inserted into the bell, the player changes their embouchure, or volume.{{Citation needed|date=July 2015}}

A voice can change its timbre by the way the performer manipulates their vocal apparatus, (e.g. the shape of the vocal cavity or mouth). Musical notation frequently specifies alteration in timbre by changes in sounding technique, volume, accent, and other means. These are indicated variously by symbolic and verbal instruction. For example, the word ''dolce'' (sweetly) indicates a non-specific, but commonly understood soft and "sweet" timbre. ''Sul tasto'' instructs a string player to bow near or over the fingerboard to produce a less brilliant sound. ''Cuivre'' instructs a brass player to produce a forced and stridently brassy sound. Accent symbols like ''marcato'' (^) and dynamic indications (''pp'') can also indicate changes in timbre.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sheffield.k12.oh.us/Downloads/IMG.pdf|title=How Loud? How Soft?|website=Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City Schools}}</ref>

====Dynamics====
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2015}}
{{Main|Dynamics (music)}}
[[File:Music hairpins.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|Illustration of hairpins in musical notation]]
In music, "[[dynamics (music)|dynamics]]" normally refers to variations of intensity or volume, as may be measured by physicists and audio engineers in [[decibels]] or [[phon]]s. In music notation, however, dynamics are not treated as absolute values, but as relative ones. Because they are usually measured subjectively, there are factors besides amplitude that affect the performance or perception of intensity, such as timbre, vibrato, and articulation.

The conventional indications of dynamics are abbreviations for Italian words like ''forte'' ('''''f''''') for loud and ''piano'' ('''''p''''') for soft. These two basic notations are modified by indications including ''mezzo piano'' ('''''mp''''') for moderately soft (literally "half soft") and ''mezzo forte'' ('''''mf''''') for moderately loud, ''sforzando'' or ''sforzato'' ('''''sfz''''') for a surging or "pushed" attack, or ''fortepiano'' ('''''fp''''') for a loud attack with a sudden decrease to a soft level. The full span of these markings usually range from a nearly inaudible ''pianissississimo'' ('''''pppp''''') to a loud-as-possible ''fortissississimo'' ('''''ffff''''').

Greater extremes of '''''pppppp''''' and '''''fffff''''' and nuances such as '''''p+''''' or ''più piano'' are sometimes found. Other systems of indicating volume are also used in both notation and analysis: dB (decibels), numerical scales, colored or different sized notes, words in languages other than Italian, and symbols such as those for progressively increasing volume (''crescendo'') or decreasing volume (''diminuendo'' or ''decrescendo''), often called "[[Dynamics (music)|hairpins]]" when indicated with diverging or converging lines as shown in the graphic above.

====Articulation====
{{Unreferenced section|date=July 2015}}
{{Main|Articulation (music)}}
[[File:Notation accents1.png|thumb|upright=1.4|Examples of articulation marks. From left to right: [[staccato]], [[staccatissimo]], [[martellato]], [[Accent (music)|accent]], [[tenuto]].]]
Articulation is the way the performer sounds notes. For example, ''[[staccato]]'' is the shortening of duration compared to the written note value, ''[[legato]]'' performs the notes in a smoothly joined sequence with no separation. Articulation is often described rather than quantified, therefore there is room to interpret how to execute precisely each articulation.

For example, ''staccato'' is often referred to as "separated" or "detached" rather than having a defined or numbered amount by which to reduce the notated duration. Violin players use a variety of techniques to perform different qualities of ''staccato.'' The manner in which a performer decides to execute a given articulation is usually based on the context of the piece or phrase, but many articulation symbols and verbal instructions depend on the instrument and musical period (e.g. viol, wind; classical, baroque; etc.).

There is a set of articulations that most instruments and voices perform in common. They are—from long to short: ''legato'' (smooth, connected); ''[[tenuto]]'' (pressed or played to full notated duration); ''[[marcato]]'' (accented and detached); ''staccato'' ("separated", "detached"); ''[[martelé (bowstroke)|martelé]]'' (heavily accented or "hammered").{{Contradictory inline|date=March 2020|reason=The accompanying illustration names "staccato", "tenuto", and three other articulations not listed here. Are these synonyms and, if so, which are synonyms of which? Neither list is cited to a reliable source.}} Many of these can be combined to create certain "in-between" articulations. For example, ''[[portato]]'' is the combination of ''tenuto'' and ''staccato''. Some instruments have unique methods by which to produce sounds, such as ''[[spiccato]]'' for bowed strings, where the bow bounces off the string.