Timbre can change a lot

I was listening to “Spring Frost” by Brian Eno this morning and that piece of music is a somewhat simple texture. Most of the song is similar in texture to a solo piano piece, with some type of accompaniment and a melody on top of that. It’s a very pretty song.

Instead of being played on a piano though it’s played on some type of synthesizer that sounds similar to an electric piano, with some added synthesized textures in the background.

If the piece were taken to the piano it would lose a lot of it’s original appeal and flavor to me. I think it’s a beautiful piece of music, but many of the things that make it beautiful are the synthesized and electronic elements being added.

Timbre is what is being explored. This piece explores different timbres and uses timbral differences between the sections and that keeps me interested in the music.

For those that may be unfamiliar with what “timbre” is, timbre is the specific sound of a specific instrument. “Happy Birthday” played on a violin will sound different than if that exact song and notes and rhythms are played on a piano or a flute or a guitar. Some instruments may sound timbrally more similar than others, but those instruments will sound different even if they played the same song. That difference in sound is called timbre or tone color.

I’ve noticed that this is a common thing in much of popular music. Timbre is playing a larger role, especially if the music is electronic in some way. Electronics allow timbre to be changed and played with in a lot of different ways. There’s almost an endless number of ways to change timbre. The more you understand music synthesis and production, the more you can change the timber of your music.

And it’s a great way to add some type of large change and keep a piece interesting, without having to change the chords or the melody.

Chords and melody are only two aspects of music after all. Rhythm and timbre are also two aspects of music that can be changed as well.

ISJ