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Timbre
Timbre is the unique quality
of a sound, sometimes referred to as its tone color. It
is determined primarily by the object that produces the sound. Composers
can specify a specific timbre by indicating the instrument(s) for
which they are writing.
Music for a melody instrument such as a violin or a trumpet is
written on one staff. Music written with two or more staves
are called scores. Keyboard instruments require two staves--one
for the right hand and one for the left hand. This would be called
a piano score (or as previously discussed, a grand staff).
A composition for an instrumental trio, for example, would use
three staves, all joined by a brace, indicating that all the parts
are played simultaneously. The following example is a score
for three instruments: two violins and a viola.
  
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