idea
The harmonic series
When you play one note on a violin, the string vibrates as a whole and, at the same time, in halves, thirds, quarters and smaller parts. So one note is really a stack of frequencies, 1, 2, 3, 4… times the lowest one. These are the harmonics, and together they form the harmonic series. On a low C they give C, C an octave up, G, C again, E, G, a slightly flat B flat, and then they keep climbing, closer and closer together. Octaves, fifths, chords, timbre and the way the ear judges smoothness all come back to this series.
Connects to
- Strings and pipes
- Timbre
- Fourier's idea
- Overtone and undertone singing
- The missing fundamental
- Roughness and consonance
- Chords and voice leading