15.6). Even the single note of middle C played on a piano is not a pure
tone but a complex waveform reflecting a combination of several
frequencies. And the same note of middle C played on different instru-
ments sounds different, because the complexity of the sound is differ-
ent for different instruments. Each has the same dominant frequency
(approximately 262 Hz), which defines the note as being middle C, but
other frequencies are present in the sounds, resulting from various
modes of vibration of strings and/or air in the resonant chambers of
the different instruments.
Musicians also play their instruments in particular ways, devel-
oping unique styles that may be recognizable in the timbre of their
music. Sometimes it is possible to identify a musician from hearing
them play only a single note. It is the sound’s timbre that makes this
possible.
The Jew’s harp is considered to be one of the oldest musical instru-
ments. It is known in many different cultures and goes by many
different names—jaw harp, mouth harp, trump, khomus, morsing
(Fig. 15.7). My favorite name is the Italian scacciapensieri, which
translates as “thought banisher,” a reference to the trance-inducing
potential of the sound. The instrument is played by holding it against
the lips and teeth and strumming the metal reed.