How do membranophones make sound?

How do membranophones make sound?

• A. The frame vibrates to produce sound
• B. The strings vibrate to produce sound waves
• C. A vibrating column of air produces sound waves
• D. The membrane vibrates producing sound waves

Answer: (D)

Membranes are the vibrating source in this family. When a stretched skin or membrane is struck, it moves back and forth, creating pressure changes in the surrounding air that radiate as sound waves. The frame mainly serves to hold and tune the membrane, but the audible sound comes from the membrane’s vibration itself. The pitch depends on how tight the membrane is, its thickness, and its size. This sets membranophones apart from instruments that produce sound from vibrating air in a column (aerophones) or from vibrating strings (chordophones), or from vibrating bodies that aren’t membranes (idiophones).

Membranes are the vibrating source in this family. When a stretched skin or membrane is struck, it moves back and forth, creating pressure changes in the surrounding air that radiate as sound waves. The frame mainly serves to hold and tune the membrane, but the audible sound comes from the membrane’s vibration itself. The pitch depends on how tight the membrane is, its thickness, and its size. This sets membranophones apart from instruments that produce sound from vibrating air in a column (aerophones) or from vibrating strings (chordophones), or from vibrating bodies that aren’t membranes (idiophones).