This website offers a way to further knowledge on the physics behind different sections of an orchestra, each section having its own intricacy explained through physical phenomena, providing each instrument with its characteristic tone and timbre. The mechanics behind sound is a fundamental concept taught to physics students at the very beginning of their learning. However, there is often a disconnect between the equations we are taught and their relation to the phenomena we experience. The purpose of this website is to reduce this detachment by building a strong fundamental basis from which we can delve into the complexities behind each instrumental section. Learning and making connections is made easier through interactive animations and videos which can be found throughout.
To get started, explore the fundamentals page which covers the fundamental concepts and mathematics that will be used for understanding the different instrument types. To learn about the different orchestra sections, select the region of the orchestra you would like to learn about by clicking on it in the graphic at the top of the webpage.
Fundamentally, sound is formed by the vibration of particles, which produce a pressure wave that propagates throughout a medium. Pressure waves are a type of longitudinal wave, the oscillations of the medium are perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the wave. Soundwaves are pressure waves, they contain areas of high and low pressure, these two areas are defined as compressions (areas of high pressure) and rarefactions (areas of low pressure). This can be seen in the diagram below, which shows the pressure gradient along a wave. An important characteristic which can be found by looking at a pressure gradient is the wavelength as this is the distance between two consecutive compressions or rarefactions.
In a typical symphony orchestra, the 4 string instruments you would find are the violin, viola, cello and double bass. IMAGE OF STRING INSTRUMENT
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