Sound is a form of energy that is created by vibrations passing through matter.Strong vibrations produce a loud sound and weak vibrations produce a sot sound.
How is sound produced? From loudspeakers to guitars, all sound-producing devices share one common feature: vibration. The amount of vibration, as well as the speed of the vibration, produce the different sounds our ears can recognize.
In this blog post, we’ll look at the science behind sound and study how instruments like the guitar and piano create sound. We’ll also look at how modern hi-fi systems produce sound, as well as factors that can affect the clarity of sound.
Ready to start? Learn the fundamentals of how music is composed with our Learn Music Theory course and read on to discover the science behind how the different instruments in a modern orchestra produce sound.
The science behind sound
Seamless Music Wave PatternIn simple terms, sound is vibration. The complex internal structure of our ears can respond to the waves produced by vibration, whether in the form of bass drum or an acoustic guitar.
When an instrument produces vibrations, it creates oscillating sound waves. Some of these waves are audible to humans, while others are very deep or high-pitched, and fall outside the human range of hearing.
A variety of metrics are used to measure sound’s intensity, volume and pitch. The pitch of sound is measures in hertz. One hertz (Hz) refers to the complete cycle of sound waves per second. Thus, 5,000Hz is equal to 5,000 cycles per second.
The human ear can generally perceive sound between 20Hz and 20,000Hz. Animals can often hear sound that humans can’t. For example, dogs can hear sounds at very high frequencies – often above 20,000Hz – but cannot hear low frequency sounds.
Understanding the science of sound makes audio production far easier. Enroll in our course, The Practical Way: Learn Electronic Music Production, to learn how you can produce your own music from home.