CHAPTER 9
Voices and Instrument Families
OVERVIEW
The materials from which musical instruments, including the human voice, are constructed
contribute to the diversity of sound quality (timbre, or tone color) that emerges from various
musical instruments. This chapter provides a basic introduction to the various human voice types
and instrument families.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. To understand timbre, or tone color, as the quality of sound generated by various types of
musical instruments and voices
2. To understand how the human voice and musical instruments are classified according to
their sound quality and method of tone production
LECTURE SUGGESTIONS
1. Bring to class an example of each musical instrument type (aerophone, chordophone,
idiophone, and membranophone). Chapters 10 and 11 treat musical instruments in detail, so
for the purposes of this chapter the instruments can be very simple: a whistle or recorder, a
ukulele or guitar, a rattle or tambourine, and a small drum (with a beater.) After defining the
instrument classifications, have members of the class play each, and then ask the class
which instrument belongs to which classification category.
2. After defining the voice types (soprano, alto, etc.), pair students off and have them assess
each other’s voice types. If students are reluctant to sing, ask them to try to identify their
spoken voice range first and then move to speaking low or high at uncomfortable ranges
as a way to more precisely measure their vocal ranges. Next, on the basis of their