Frequency & Pitch

This lesson is part of the Fundamentals of Sound & Music module.

Objectives

• Students will be familiar with waveform diagrams.
• Students will understand how frequency relates to the aural concept of pitch.
• Students will understand how frequencies of multiple waveforms interact.
• Students will understand the difference between a simple and complex soundwave.
• Students will understand the concept of timbre and be able to describe different timbres.
• Students will be familiar with different waveform types (sawtooth, square, etc.) and understand their relationship to timbre and pitch.
• Students will understand the difference between absolute and relative pitch.

Class Activities

• Discussion and definition of frequency, pitch, amplitude, dynamics and waveform diagrams
• Investigation of variables using waveform diagrams
• Demonstration of the combination of two sounds, and the visualization of the process as waveform diagrams
• Use of an oscilloscope to analyze and compare different sounds

Assignments

• Drawing waveform diagrams