Volume
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Note: I chose to couple length with Amplitude/Volume however once again, distance can very well also have been height or width. Since height and width have already been used with pitch and tone, we will use length to explain Volume.
There are 3 main events in life, namely birth, living, and death. Birth is the entrance while death is the exit, and living is what happens between the entrance and exit. This principle can also be applied to our five senses since sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch all require the same 3 events for us to experience them. Let me explain…
All senses have a beginning, a middle, and an end as they all require a construction (creation or introduction), a peak or existence, and then a deconstruction (destruction or decomposition). Sound is no exception and therefore sound has it’s own terms to describe each of these events. In music, these events refer to Attack, Sustain, and Decay. In essence they respectively refer to an increase (or start), a stable period of activity (middle), and a decrease (end) in volume … over time.
Some sounds occur quickly therefore the start and end of the sound are spaced relatively close to one another however for longer sounds it is easier to notice a start, middle, and end. If you compare this to a sound from your mouth, there is the period in which sound begins but where your mouth is still closed (such as the moment where the sound is still a hum), then the mouth opens and the sound is at it’s clearest, and then the point where the mouth closes once again which is the end of the sound. The opening of the mouth can be fast or slow therefore the ‘attack’ or introduction of a sound can be fast or slow. At its peak, the sound is at it’s strongest and most stable after which the mouth begins to close once again, resulting in a decrease in volume. Once again, the closing of the mouth can be fast or slow, therefore the ‘decay’ or exit of a sound can also be fast or slow.
Attack represents how a sound fades in or enters our perception. This ‘fade in’ can be fast, which would mean that we would hear the sound quickly after it is produced, or it can be slow which would mean that we would hear the sound fading in since it’s volume is slowly increasing over time. If using equipment to set the attack of a sound, you might have an attack knob which might be labeled with numbers from 1 to 10 where 1 has a slower attack while 10 has a fast attack. Conversely, the equipment’s instructions might indicate that these numbers are a reference to time and might therefore prefer to use the number 1 as a fast attack and higher numbers as a slower attack since an increase in time between two events is considered to be a slowing of time. Regardless of the usage, the takeaway is that the attack or introduction of a sound can be fast or slow, and literally any speed in between.
If comparing attack to automobiles, attack would be similar to takeoff speed. Some cars accelerate quickly while others have a slower acceleration before reaching cruising speed. The cruising speed would be the point that can be ‘held’ or sustained for a period of time and the slowing down or deceleration would be similar to ‘decay’. The ‘acceleration’ is therefore the ‘attack’. Percussive instruments such as a snare, a cymbal, or a bell, reach their loudest volume point almost immediately and are therefore referred to as sounds with a fast attack. The attack is therefore the actual increase in volume at the beginning of a sound before the note reaches it’s peak point. A cat’s meow or a cow’s mooing are examples of a slower attack as there is a slight delay before their sounds are at their peak. A truck for example, has a slower acceleration before it reaches it’s maximum speed.
A dictionary will describe attack as a ‘hit’ or ‘strike’. Attack is often described as an act of violence or hostility however in a musical sense it is mostly about the introduction of the act itself rather than the fact that it is violent as it refers to the act of ‘hitting’ something to create a sound/note. Blowing, plucking, strumming, picking, bowing or any act that ‘disturbs’ the surrounding air particles to generate a sound wave is considered an ‘attack’. A physical attack can be considered a ‘disturbance’ which is closer to the musical sense of it as ‘disturbance’ implies that it was an intentional act to create a reaction (in this case to air particles).
Attack would be the head, while Decay refers to the tail end of a sound. Decay is therefore the way a note ends. It is the ‘deceleration’ of the car’s speed … or in the case of sound, the drop in volume over time after the peak is reached. It is the tail end of the sound. Using the example of a cymbal, if the cymbal is left to ring out, the decay is very slow as the sound fades off until it is no longer heard. A snare drum however is a very short sound as the decay is quick. Attack = Fade In … Decay = Fade Out.
Sustain is the duration of a note. It refers to the point after the attack and before the decay. In shorter sounds it can be simply the ‘peak’ since the note is not actually sustained for an amount of time that is easy to measure (or hear), however in longer sounds, the peak drags on before the decay begins. This is the ‘cruising speed’ of a car where the car is neither accelerating nor decelerating and is the point where the sound is at it’s fullest and stable. A fast decay does not necessarily mean the sustain or duration of a note is also short. A note can still sustain for a period of time and the decay can still be quick as it refers to the drop in volume at the end of the peak or stable part of the sound. The drop can be slow or fast similar to a car that is decelerating or breaking instantly. The same applies to the attack in that the attack can be slow or quick before it reaches it’s peak and begins to sustain.
That being said, a car may accelerate and decelerate multiple times during its journey before it stops however each acceleration is a new beginning therefore the acceleration is always preceded by a deceleration even if the end of the sound was not audible. It was simply a fast ending.
*Note however that an attack is not only fast or slow which reflects the speed at which a sound is introduced, it can also be measured in intensity therefore you will also see terms such as ‘strong attack‘ or ‘soft attack‘ as a sound can still have a soft yet fast attack or a strong but slow one. This can be explained with a physical act such as a punch or slap. Both can be very quick except a punch may be stronger than a slap therefore their individual intensity are different. The takeoff speed of a diesel engine race car has a stronger attack than an electric engine race car however both can theoretically accelerate at the same speed. One will simply be louder than the other since the attack was stronger.
A sound can have a soft yet fast attack or a strong but slow one. The combination itself will depend on the instrument itself as well as what a piece of music requires.
The natural sound of an instrument has it’s own attack, sustain, and decay giving it its unique quality (tone and timbre) however most instruments also allow the possibility to control their dynamics so that stronger or softer, faster or slower attacks can be applied as needed.
If a piece requires an instrument that sounds softer, it may prefer a violin over a trumpet. Although the trumpet has the possibility of being played softly, the natural sound of the instrument has a stronger attack than a violin. Similarly, the violin can be played strongly however it may lack the strength that the composer is looking for to correctly express the emotion of a piece of music.
A weight lifter for example is stronger than a soccer player as they’ve trained themselves to lift heavier weights however a soccer player is more agile and can therefore move faster. Neither is better or worse on their own since they both have ‘strength’ in their own ways therefore this is not a reflection on either of their abilities or qualities. Depending on the scenario in question however, one may have better success.
Dynamics will be explained in more detail in a later lesson however it is important to understand that the terms we are using to describe ‘sound’ will also reappear in other areas. Thankfully, they will also still mean the same thing.
