The Human Ear, Music, and Musical Instruments

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The Human Ear,Music, andMusical Instruments

• Mr. V. Perez
• Grade 6 Science

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Hearing Sounds

• Hearing is one of the FIVE human senses
• For a sound to be heard, three things are needed
• A source of the sound (like your voice, an
  instrument, a cannon fired, a car engine racing,
  a plane flying overhead, a splash of water, etc.)
• A medium to transmit the sound (gas, liquid, or
  solid)
• The human ear (which is a sense organ that
  detects the sound and transmits electrical
  impulses to the brain)

• There are THREE main parts to the human ear
• The outer ear
• The middle ear
• The inner ear

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The Outer Ear

• A sound wave first enters the outer ear
• The part of the ear that we can see is called the
  pinnacle
• The outer ear funnels the sound wave into the ear
  canal
• The sound wave moves through the ear canal to the
  eardrum
• The vibrating air particles in the sound wave
  make the eardrum vibrate

• These vibrations are sent to the middle
  ear

Pinnacle
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The Middle Ear

• The vibrations from the eardrum are transferred
  to the bones in the middle ear
• The three tiny bones in the middle ear are called
  the hammer, anvil, and stirrup
• The vibrations are sent from the hammer, to the
  anvil, to the stirrup

• These vibrations are sent to the inner ear

Pinnacle
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The Inner Ear

• The vibrations from the tiny bones in the middle
  ear are received by the cochlea (which is
  snail-shaped)
• The cochlea is filled with fluid and is attached
  to nerve fibers
• The vibrations from the cochlea become nerve
  impulses, which are sent to the brain by the
  auditory nerve

• The cochlea converts mechanical energy to
  electrical impulses
• The brain interprets the electrical impulses as
  sound

Pinnacle
6
The Ear and Balance

• The semicircular canals of the inner ear contain
  fluid
• When we move, the fluid in the semicircular
  canals moves too
• This lets us know our position and helps us to
  keep our balance

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The Ear and Pressure

• The Eustachian tube connects the middle ear with
  the back of the mouth
• When your ear pops, that is the Eustachian tube
  working to keep the air pressure on both sides of
  the eardrum equal

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Hearing Loss

• Hearing loss can occur when your inner ear or
  auditory nerve is damaged
• Young children often experience a build up of
  water in the inner ear, which creates an
  infection (and could include temporary or
  permanent hearing loss)
• Earwax build-up, fluid, or a punctured eardrum
  can prevent sound waves from reaching your inner
  ear
• Possible treatments for hearing loss include
  hearing aids, assistive listening devices,
  alerting devices, special training, certain
  medicines, and surgery

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The Human Ear Diagram
Pinnacle
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Music

• Music is a pleasing combination of sounds that
  have rhythm, melody, and harmony
• Rhythm is the basic beat of music. Bass and
  drums usually provide the rhythm. When you clap
  your hands or stomp your feet, you are adding
  rhythm.
• Melody is the combination of musical notes, which
  is also called the tune. When you hum or sing a
  song, you are repeating the melody.
• Harmony is created when different notes are
  created at the same time. In an orchestra, many
  different instruments play together and are heard
  at the same time to create the harmony.

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Musical Instruments

• Musical instruments can be divided into 3 groups
• Percussion Instruments include all types of drums
  and any instrument that is tapped or hit. Some
  percussive instruments are a shaker, tambourine,
  guiro, triangle, and cymbal.
• String instruments make music from the sounds of
  vibrating strings (from plucking, bowing, and
  striking). Some instruments include the guitar,
  violin (and cello), and piano.
• Wind instruments make music when air is blown
  through them. Some instruments include woodwinds
  (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon) and brass
  (trumpet, saxophone, French horn, trombone, and
  tuba).

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Noise

• Noise is defined as a combination of unpleasant
  sounds with irregular patterns of vibration
• It can also be thought of as any unwanted sound
• Noise is unpleasant because it has no melody, no
  rhythm, or no harmony