Musical Tone Explained: How Tone in Music Works

Music tone can refer to intervals in a scale, specific musical notes, or the quality of a sound:

• Intervals: Tone can refer to intervals in a scale. In Western music theory, a scale is a sequence of notes chosen from the 12 available pitches. The pitches are spaced in intervals known as semitones. One semitone is called a half step, and two semitones combine to form a whole step.
• Specific musical notes: The word “tone” can also refer to a single frequency played by a musical instrument. For example, when you depress the A key on a piano keyboard, it sounds the musical tone A. Press the adjacent key right above it, and you sound the musical tone A sharp.
• Quality of sound: When musicians discuss tone, it's often about the timbre of different instruments. The same pitch played on a trombone will sound notably different from playing it on a wind instrument, such as a flute or clarinet. The difference in tones has to do with the balance of a fundamental frequency (the note being played) with harmonic overtones. Different instruments produce these in varying proportions. A pure tone produces only a fundamental frequency but no overtones. A complex tone produces both the fundamental and overtones. Computer software can produce waveform images of audio tones; these waveforms vary between different instruments or with the addition of accessories like guitar amplifiers.

To converse with other musicians, working musicians must understand all three definitions of tone—intervals, specific pitches, and timbre. Some amateur players confuse the word "tone" with "dynamics," which refers to loudness, or "articulation," the way to play a note, such as with vibrato or staccato. Musicians must share a common lexicon for instruction and feedback.

Audio engineers must understand tone to produce the exact sounds they or the client wants. An engineer studies the waveforms in a digital audio recording, including the amplitude and frequency, to evaluate the sound quality and frequency spectrum. This process can help the engineers edit the audio file to create the desired aural character.

Under one definition of tone, the word “tone” is synonymous with “pitch.” For instance, “the tone G” can mean the same thing as “the note G.” However, while "note" always refers to pitch, the word "tone" can take multiple meanings, including intervals, specific pitches, and timbre. From the twentieth century onward, the term "tone" tends to be most associated with timbre on account of the many instruments, amplifiers, effects, and editing algorithms that can drastically alter how a piece of music sounds. In today's musical world, when artists refer to pitch, they are more likely to use the word "note" or "pitch" rather than "tone."

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