String instrument

High school (ages 12+)
Art & Creativity

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/string-instrument

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the fundamental physics of pitch?Frequency is proportional to sqrt(Tension / (Length Mass per unit length))
2. What is the harmonic series?Vibrating strings produce a fundamental frequency and overtones that define timbre
3. What are string instruments?String instruments make music by vibrating strings that are plucked, bowed, or strummed. The vibration creates a pitch and extra tones that give each instrument a special sound.
4. How do string instruments make sound?When a string is excited, it vibrates and produces a main tone and many higher tones called overtones. The wood body of the instrument amplifies these vibrations so we can hear the sound.

Harmonics: Higher-pitched frequencies produced by a vibrating string, which give an instrument its unique sound quality.
Timbre: The characteristic quality of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and loudness.
Resonator: A component of a musical instrument that amplifies and shapes the sound produced by the vibrating strings.