Pitch of Sounds
Find patterns between the pitch of a sound and features of the object that produced it
What a learner can do afterwards
- Describe the pattern: shorter/thinner/tighter objects produce higher-pitched sounds
- Demonstrate pitch changes using at least one instrument or everyday object
- Explain pitch as how high or low a sound is, determined by how fast the object vibrates
The lesson
You already know that sound comes from something vibrating back and forth. Pitch is how high or low that sound feels to your ear. A fast vibration makes a high pitch. A slow vibration makes a low pitch.
Mia plucks two guitar strings. The thin, tight string vibrates fast and rings out high. The thick, looser string vibrates slow and hums low.
Compare two sizes of the same instrument, like a big drum and a small drum. The smaller or tighter one almost always sounds higher. The bigger or looser one sounds lower.
Short, thin, or tight objects vibrate fast and sound high; long, thick, or loose objects vibrate slow and sound low.
Watch it
Where it sits
Learn first
This opens up
Nothing builds on it yet.
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.