Timbre

Timbre (pronounced Tam-ber) is the psychological effect of overtones on a harmonic scale (integer multiples of a fundamental frequency that determines the underlying pitch).  The distinctive sounds from different musical instruments is partly explained by the different timbres of their tones.  As an example, listen to the example shown on the left below, which are fundamentals only of strings playing a theme from Stravinsky's Firebird Suite.  These pure tones do not sound like strings at all.  But if the overtones are included, as shown in the figure on the right, then we hear the notes as coming from string instruments (violins).

                                                  
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