PHYSICAL DESIGN
This physical feature allows an acoustic instrument to produce sound without electricity.
What is a resonating body?
These vibrating elements start sound production in acoustic instruments.
What are strings, air, or reeds?
This type of instrument typically has a more natural sound decay.
What is an acoustic instrument?
This type of instrument is most commonly used in unplugged or intimate performances.
What is an acoustic instrument?
This famous electric guitars helped popularize the electric guitar in rock music during the 1960's.
Who is Jimi Hindrix?
These two differences explain why acoustic guitars are hollow while electric guitars are usually solid.
What are resonance versus amplification through pickups.
This component converts physical vibration into an electrical signal in an electric instrument.
What is a pickup?
This type of instrument allows tone changes using knobs, pedals, or presets.
what is an electronic instrument?
This is why electronic instruments are common in large concert venues.
What is volume control and amplification?
This electronic instrument became widely popular in the 1980's and is played using keys instead of strings.
What is a synthesizer?
These are two physical components commonly found on electric instruments but not on acoustic instruments.
What are pickups and output jacks? (Also acceptable, knobs and batteries)
This is why physical movement is still required to produce sound on an electric instrument.
What is the need to create the initial vibration or signal?
This is why an acoustic instrument sound different depending on the room it is played in.
What are acoustics?
This is the main reason orchestras primarily use acoustic instruments.
What is natural blend and balance?
Before electronic amplification, this acoustic instrument was commonly used to provide rhythm in early jazz and swing bands.
What is an acoustic guitar?
This is why the size and shape of an acoustic instrument affect its sound more than an electric instrument.
What is resonance?
This is the correct order of the electric instrument signal path from player to speaker.
What is initial vibration, pickup, speaker?
This is one listening clue that suggests a sound is electronic rather than acoustic.
What are effects, distortion, or artificial sustain?
This is why a musician might mic an acoustic instrument instead of switching to an electric one.
What is preserving the tone while increasing volume?
This technology allows electronic instruments to communicate with computers and other devices.
What is MIDI? (Musical Instrument Digital Interface)
This type of instrument combines acoustic sound production with electronic amplification.
What is an acoustic electric instrument?
These are the two main ways sound is produced in an acoustic piano versus a digital keyboard?
What are bivrating strings versus electronic sound generations?
This is why electronic instruments tend to sound more consistent than acoustic instruments.
What is standardized electronic sound production?
This is the most expensive electronic instrument you can buy.
Original Moog modular synthesizers.
Up to $150,000
This modern instrument uses digital sampling to imitate the sound of acoustic instruments.
What is a digital keyboard?