How does sound have “texture”? How does a piano sound different from a clarinet when they play the same tone?

Question

How does sound have “texture”? How does a piano sound different from a clarinet when they play the same tone?

In: Physics

Answer 1

So when you play a note, you’re actually playing a bunch of different frequencies (“harmonics”) with different intensities, not just the main frequency (“fundamental”). The different intensities of those many frequencies give the different “textures” of various instruments (“timbre”, pronounced “tamber”).