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Sonority and Production Techniques

The vocabulary of sound in popular music: what sonority means, the timbres of voices like falsetto and belt, guitar techniques like the palm mute, and effects like distortion.

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What you'll cover

The sound of pop music 🎸

Sonority means the timbre, or quality and character, of a sound. In popular music, different instruments, voices, techniques and effects each create their own sonority. This module teaches the vocabulary for describing them, from vocal timbres like falsetto to guitar effects like distortion.

Words for sound 🔑

Learn these four terms before you describe the sound of a song.

Voices and guitars 🆚

Singers and guitarists each have their own techniques.

Grade 9 thinking 💡

To reach the top grades, name the exact technique and describe its effect on the sound, for example distortion giving a fuzzy, aggressive tone, rather than just saying the guitar sounds different.

Match the vocal timbre 🔗

  • falsetto
  • belt
  • rap
  • scat singing
  • a male voice singing very high
  • a loud, powerful singing voice
  • rhythmic spoken words in time to a beat
  • singing nonsense syllables like an instrument

Match the technique or effect 🧩

  • palm mute
  • pitch bend
  • distortion
  • double-tracking
  • resting the hand on the strings for a muffled sound
  • bending a note up or down in pitch
  • a fuzzy, overdriven guitar sound
  • recording a part twice for a fuller sound

What is sonority? ❓

What does sonority mean?

  • The quality or character of a sound, its timbre.
  • The speed of the music.
  • The loudness of the music.

Vocal timbres ✅

Select the TWO vocal timbres.

  • Falsetto.
  • Scat singing.
  • Palm mute.
  • Distortion.

Order the guitar sound 🪜

An interactive activity.

Complete the sentences 📝

In popular music, _____ means the quality of a sound. A male voice singing very high is called _____. On a guitar, resting the hand on the strings gives a muffled sound called a palm _____. A fuzzy, overdriven guitar sound is called _____. Recording a part twice for a fuller sound is called _____-tracking.

sonority falsetto mute distortion double tempo belt bend rap amplification

Count the timbres 🔢

An interactive activity.

Spot the two guitar techniques 🖍️

An interactive activity.

Voice, guitar or effect? 🧭

An interactive activity.

Describe the sonority ✍️

An interactive activity.