timbre
The character or quality of a musical sound or voice as distinct from its pitch and intensity; tone color.
Timbre is what allows you to distinguish between a violin and a flute, or between two different singers, even when they are singing the exact same note at the exact same volume.
Word relationships
- tone color: Tone color is a common, more intuitive synonym for timbre, used to describe the aesthetic quality of a sound.
- resonance: Resonance is the physical amplification of sound, which contributes to the timbre but is not the timbre itself.
Commonly confused with
- timber: Timber refers to wood prepared for use in building and carpentry, whereas timbre refers to the quality of a sound.
Word family
- timbral (adjective): Relating to the timbre or quality of a sound.
Collocations
- vocal timbre
- rich timbre
- dark timbre
- bright timbre
- unique timbre
Example sentences
- "The singer's dark, velvety timbre made her immediately recognizable on the radio." Describing a unique vocal quality.
- "The timbre of an instrument is determined by the physical shape of the instrument and the harmonics it produces." A scientific explanation of sound.
Memory hook
Think of 'timbre' as the 'timber' (wood) of an instrument. Just as different types of wood have different grains and colors, different voices have different acoustic 'colors' or timbres. Timbre is the color of the sound.
When not to use
Do not use timbre to describe how high or low a note is (pitch) or how loud it is (volume). It refers strictly to the quality or texture of the sound.
Fun facts
- The spelling of 'timbre' is French, and it is often pronounced 'TAM-ber' in English to distinguish it from 'timber' (wood), though pronouncing it 'TIM-ber' is also technically acceptable.
Also appears in
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