All Topics  
Harmonic

 

 
   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link
 

 

Harmonic
 
 
  Topics Harmonic Topic Home

In acoustics
Acoustics

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of sound, ultrasound and infrasound . A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician....
 and telecommunication
Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the assisted Transmission of Signal over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, Drum , Semaphore line, flag signals or heliograph....
, a harmonic of a wave
Wave

A wave is a disturbance that propagates through space and time, usually with transference of energy. While a mechanical wave exists in a medium , waves of electromagnetic radiation can travel through vacuum, that is, without a medium....
 is a component frequency
Frequency

Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency....
 of the signal that is an integer
Integer

The integers are natural numbers including 0 and their negative and non-negative numberss . They are numbers that can be written without a fractional or decimal component, and fall within the set ....
 multiple of the fundamental frequency
Fundamental frequency

The fundamental tone, often referred to simply as the fundamental and abbreviated f0 or F0, is the lowest frequency in a harmonic series ....
. For example, if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies f, 2f, 3f, 4f, etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic
Periodicity

Periodicity is the quality of occurring at regular intervals or periods and can occur in different contexts:In timing devices:* A clock marks time at periodic intervals....
 at the fundamental frequency, therefore the sum of harmonics is also periodic at that frequency.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'Harmonic'
Start a new discussion about 'Harmonic'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


In acoustics
Acoustics

Acoustics is the interdisciplinary science that deals with the study of sound, ultrasound and infrasound . A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician....
 and telecommunication
Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the assisted Transmission of Signal over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, Drum , Semaphore line, flag signals or heliograph....
, a harmonic of a wave
Wave

A wave is a disturbance that propagates through space and time, usually with transference of energy. While a mechanical wave exists in a medium , waves of electromagnetic radiation can travel through vacuum, that is, without a medium....
 is a component frequency
Frequency

Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency....
 of the signal that is an integer
Integer

The integers are natural numbers including 0 and their negative and non-negative numberss . They are numbers that can be written without a fractional or decimal component, and fall within the set ....
 multiple of the fundamental frequency
Fundamental frequency

The fundamental tone, often referred to simply as the fundamental and abbreviated f0 or F0, is the lowest frequency in a harmonic series ....
. For example, if the fundamental frequency is f, the harmonics have frequencies f, 2f, 3f, 4f, etc. The harmonics have the property that they are all periodic
Periodicity

Periodicity is the quality of occurring at regular intervals or periods and can occur in different contexts:In timing devices:* A clock marks time at periodic intervals....
 at the fundamental frequency, therefore the sum of harmonics is also periodic at that frequency. Harmonic frequencies are equally spaced by the width of the fundamental frequency and can be found by repeatedly adding that frequency. For example, if the fundamental frequency is 25 Hz
Hertz

The hertz is a measure of frequency per unit of time, or the number of list of cycles per second. It is the SI base unit of frequency in the International System of Units , and is used worldwide in both general-purpose and scientific contexts....
, the frequencies of the harmonics are: 25 Hz, 50 Hz, 75 Hz, 100 Hz, etc.

Characteristics

Many oscillators, including the human voice
Human voice

The human voice consists of sound Voice production by a human being using the vocal folds for Speech communication, singing, Laughter, crying, screaming, etc....
, a bowed
Bow (music)

In music, a bow is moved across some part of a musical instrument, causing vibration which the instrument emits as sound. The vast majority of bows are used with string instruments, although some bows are used with musical saws and other bowed idiophones....
 violin
Violin

The violin is a Bow string instrument with four strings usually tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which also includes the viola and cello....
 string, or a Cepheid variable star, are more-or-less periodic, and thus can be decomposed into harmonics.

Most passive oscillators, such as a plucked guitar string or a struck drum head or struck bell, naturally oscillate at several frequencies known as partials
Harmonic series (music)

Definite pitch musical instruments are often based on an approximate harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air, which oscillates at numerous frequencies simultaneously....
. When the oscillator is long and thin, such as a guitar string, a trumpet, or a chime, the partials are practically integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. Hence, these devices can mimic the sound of singing and are often incorporated into music. Partials whose frequencies are not integer multiples of the fundamental are called inharmonic and are sometimes perceived as unpleasant.

The untrained human ear typically does not perceive harmonics as separate notes. Instead, they are perceived as the timbre
Timbre

In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices or musical instruments....
 of the tone. Bells
Bell (instrument)

A bell is a simple sound-making device. The bell is a percussion instrument and an idiophone. Its form is usually an open-ended hollow drum which resonates upon being struck....
 have more clearly perceptible partials than most instruments. Antique singing bowl
Singing bowl

Singing bowls are a type of bell , specifically classified as a standing bell. Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, standing bells sit with the bottom surface resting....
s are well known for their unique quality of producing multiple harmonic partials or multiphonics.

Harmonics and overtones

The tight relation between overtones and harmonics in music
Music

Music is an art form whose media is sound organized in time. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics , and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture ....
 often leads to their being used synonymously in a strictly musical context, but they are counted differently leading to some possible confusion. This chart demonstrates how they are counted:

1f 440 Hz fundamental frequency
Fundamental frequency

The fundamental tone, often referred to simply as the fundamental and abbreviated f0 or F0, is the lowest frequency in a harmonic series ....
 first harmonic
2f 880 Hz first overtone second harmonic
3f 1320 Hz second overtone third harmonic
4f 1760 Hz third overtone fourth harmonic


In many musical instruments, it is possible to play the upper harmonics without the fundamental note being present. In a simple case (e.g. recorder
Recorder

The recorder is a woodwind instrument musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes — whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle and ocarina....
) this has the effect of making the note go up in pitch by an octave
Octave

In music, an octave The octave is occasionally referred to as a diapason.The octave above an indicated note is sometimes abbreviated 8va, and the octave below 8vb....
; but in more complex cases many other pitch variations are obtained. In some cases it also changes the timbre
Timbre

In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices or musical instruments....
 of the note. This is part of the normal method of obtaining higher notes in wind instruments, where it is called overblowing
Overblowing

Overblowing is a technique used in playing a wind instrument to produce a different Pitch by changing the direction and/or force of the air stream....
. The extended technique
Extended technique

Extended techniques are performance techniques used in music to describe unconventional, unorthodox or "improper" wiktionary:techniques of singing, or of playing musical instruments....
 of playing multiphonic
Multiphonic

Multiphonics is an extended technique in instrumental music in which a Monophony instrument is made to produce several notes at once.Multiphonics in wind music are primarily a 20th century technique, first explicitly called for in the Sequenza for solo flute by Luciano Berio and Proporzioni for solo flute by Franco Evangelisti, tho...
s also produces harmonics. On string instruments it is possible to produce very pure sounding notes, called harmonics or flageolets by string players, which have an eerie quality, as well as being high in pitch. Harmonics may be used to check at a unison
UNISON

UNISON ? the Public Service Union is the second largest trade union in the United Kingdom, with over 1.3 million members.It was formed in 1993 when three previous public sector trade unions, the National Association of Local Government Officers , the National Union of Public Employees and the Confederation of Health Service Employees merg...
 the tuning of strings that are not tuned to the unison. For example, lightly fingering the node found half way down the highest string of a cello
Cello

The violoncello is a bowed string instrument. A person who plays a cello is called a cellist. The cello is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music, and as a member of the string section of an orchestra....
 produces the same pitch as lightly fingering the node 1/3 of the way down the second highest string. For the human voice see Overtone singing
Overtone singing

Overtone singing, also known as throat singing, overtone chanting, or harmonic singing, is a type of singing in which the singer manipulates the resonances created as air travels from the lungs, past the vocal folds, and out the lips to produce a melody....
, which uses harmonics.

Harmonics may be either used or considered as the basis of just intonation
Just intonation

In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequency of notes are related by ratios of whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval; in other words, the two notes are members of the same harmonic series ....
 systems. Composer Arnold Dreyblatt
Arnold Dreyblatt

Arnold Dreyblatt is an United States composer and visual artist. He studied music with Pauline Oliveros, La Monte Young, Alvin Lucier and media art with Steina and Woody Vasulka....
 is able to bring out different harmonics on the single string of his modified double bass
Double bass

The double bass or contrabass is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow string instrument used in the modern orchestra. It is a standard member of the string section of the orchestra and smaller string musical ensembles in European classical music....
 by slightly altering his unique bow
Bow (music)

In music, a bow is moved across some part of a musical instrument, causing vibration which the instrument emits as sound. The vast majority of bows are used with string instruments, although some bows are used with musical saws and other bowed idiophones....
ing technique halfway between hitting and bowing the strings. Composer Lawrence Ball
Lawrence Ball

Lawrence Ball is an English musician and composer who currently lives in North London. For over thirty years he has pursued the creation of composed and improvised music, from a meditative base, or a mathematical one, or both together....
 uses harmonics to generate music electronically.

The fundamental frequency
Fundamental frequency

The fundamental tone, often referred to simply as the fundamental and abbreviated f0 or F0, is the lowest frequency in a harmonic series ....
 is the reciprocal of the period of the periodic phenomenon.

Harmonics on stringed instruments

The following table displays the stop points on a stringed instrument, such as the guitar
Guitar

The guitar is a musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles. It typically has six Strings , but Tenor guitar, Seven-string guitar, Eight-string guitar, Ten-string guitar, Eleven-string guitar, Twelve-string guitar, Thirteen-string guitar and doubleneck guitar string guitars also exist....
, at which gentle touching of a string will force it into a harmonic mode when vibrated.

harmonic stop note harmonic noteing cents reduced
cents
2 octave
Octave

In music, an octave The octave is occasionally referred to as a diapason.The octave above an indicated note is sometimes abbreviated 8va, and the octave below 8vb....
 P8 1200.0 0.0
3 just perfect fifth
Perfect fifth

The perfect fifth is the musical interval between a note and the note seven semitones above it on the musical scale. For example, the note G lies a perfect fifth above C; D is a perfect fifth above G, C is a perfect fifth above F, and so on....
 P8 + P5 1902.0 702.0
4 just perfect fourth
Perfect fourth

The perfect fourth is a musical interval which spans four diatonic scale scale degree. It consists of the note and the note five semitones above it on the musical scale....
 2P8 2400.0 0.0
5 just major third
Major third

A major third is one of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span three diatonic scale degrees, the other being the minor third. It is denoted 'major' because it is the larger of the two: the major third is a leap of four semitones, the minor third three....
 2P8 + just M3 2786.3 386.3
6 just minor third
Minor third

A minor third is a Interval of three semitones. It is the smaller of two commonly occurring musical intervals compounded of two steps of the diatonic scale....
 2P8 + P5 3102.0 702.0
7 septimal minor third
Septimal minor third

In music, the septimal minor third , also called the subminor third is the musical interval exactly or approximately equal to a 7/6 ratio of frequencies....
 2P8 + septimal m7 3368.8 968.8
8 septimal major second 3P8 3600.0 0.0
9 Pythagorean major second
Pythagorean interval

The intervals of Pythagorean tuning are just intonation involving only powers of two and three.The fundamental intervals are the superparticular number 2/1, 3/2, and 4/3....
 3P8 + pyth M2 3803.9 203.9
10 just minor whole tone 3P8 + just M3 3986.3 386.3
11 greater unidecimal neutral second
Neutral second

A neutral second or medium second is a musical interval between a minor second and a major second. Three distinct intervals may be termed neutral seconds....
 3P8 + just M3 + GUN2 4151.3 551.3
12 lesser unidecimal neutral second
Neutral second

A neutral second or medium second is a musical interval between a minor second and a major second. Three distinct intervals may be termed neutral seconds....
 3P8 + P5 4302.0 702.0
13 tridecimal 2/3-tone 3P8 + P5 + T23T 4440.5 840.5
14 2/3-tone 3P8 + P5 + septimal m3 4568.8 968.8
15 septimal (or major) diatonic semitone 3P8 + P5 + just M3 4688.3 1088.3
16 just (or minor) diatonic semitone 4P8 4800.0 0.0

Table of harmonics


Audio Samples


See also

istoxenus]]
  • Artificial harmonic
    Artificial harmonic

    To produce an artificial harmonic, a stringed instrument player holds down a note on the neck with the Handedness , thereby shortening the vibrational length of the string, uses a finger to lightly touch a point on the string that is an integer divisor of its vibrational length, and plucks or bow s the side of the string that is closer to the...
  • Electronic tuner
    Electronic tuner

    An electronic tuner is a device used by musicians to detect and display the Pitch of notes played on musical instruments. The simplest tuners use LED lights or a needle to indicate approximately whether the pitch of the note played is lower, higher, or approximately equal to the desired pitch....
  • Formant
    Formant

    A formant is a peak in the frequency spectrum of a sound caused by Acoustics resonance. In phonetics, the word refers to sounds produced by the vocal tract....
  • Fourier series
    Fourier series

    In mathematics, a Fourier series decomposes a periodic function into a sum of simple oscillating functions, namely sine wave . The study of Fourier series is a branch of Fourier analysis....
  • Fundamental frequency
    Fundamental frequency

    The fundamental tone, often referred to simply as the fundamental and abbreviated f0 or F0, is the lowest frequency in a harmonic series ....
  • Harmonic oscillator
    Harmonic oscillator

    In classical mechanics, a harmonic oscillator is a system which, when displaced from its equilibrium position, experiences a restoring force proportional to the displacement according to Hooke's law:...
  • Harmonic series (music)
    Harmonic series (music)

    Definite pitch musical instruments are often based on an approximate harmonic oscillator such as a string or a column of air, which oscillates at numerous frequencies simultaneously....
  • Harmony
    Harmony

    In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously, and chord s, actual or implied, in music. The word is related to the word "harmonic" which implies related wavelengths of waves....
  • Inharmonic
  • Just intonation
    Just intonation

    In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequency of notes are related by ratios of whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval; in other words, the two notes are members of the same harmonic series ....
  • Overtones
  • Pinch harmonic
    Pinch harmonic

    A pinch harmonic, also known as a squealie or squealer is a guitar technique pioneered by Roy Buchanan in which the player's thumb or index finger slightly catches the string after it is picked, cancelling the fundamental frequency of the string, and letting one of its harmonics ring out....
  • Pure tone
    Pure tone

    A pure tone is a tone with a sinusoidal waveshape.A sine wave is characterized by its frequency ? the number of cycles per second, or its wavelength ? the distance the waveform travels through its medium within a period, and the amplitude ? the size of each cycle....
  • Scale of harmonics
    Scale of harmonics

    The scale of harmonics is a musical scale based on the noded positions of the natural harmonics existing on a string. This musical scale is present on the guqin, regarded as one of the first string instruments with a musical scale ....
  • Singing bowl
    Singing bowl

    Singing bowls are a type of bell , specifically classified as a standing bell. Rather than hanging inverted or attached to a handle, standing bells sit with the bottom surface resting....
  • Stretched octave
  • Tap harmonic
    Tap harmonic

    Tap harmonic is a technique used with fretted string instruments, . It is executed by Tapping on the actual fret wire most commonly at the 12th fret, but sometimes at the 7th, 5th or, more rarely, the 19th fret....
  • Xenharmonic


External links