What are harmonics in music?
Q: What are harmonics in music?
A: Harmonics in music are notes which are produced as part of the “harmonic series”. These notes are created in a special way and involve adding waves to the basic fundamental wave.
Q: How do sound waves work?
A: Sound waves can be understood by looking at the strings of a musical instrument. When a violinist plays a note on a violin string, the string starts to vibrate very fast and this vibration makes air vibrate, producing sound waves that travel to our ear so we can hear it.
Q: What is the ratio between different harmonics?
A: The higher the harmonic, the quieter it is, but the ratio is always a whole number (not a fraction). For example, an A above middle C (the violinist’s A string) vibrates at 440Hz (440 times per second), which is known as the “fundamental” or “first harmonic”. The second harmonic vibrates twice as fast (ratio 2:1): 880Hz, giving an A an octave higher. The third harmonic will give a ratio 3:2, resulting in an E (an octave and a fifth above the fundamental).
Q: How can you hear multiple notes from one instrument?
A: Every note that is played on an instrument is really made up of several notes or “harmonics” even though we may not realize that we are hearing more than one note at once. This can be demonstrated by playing the lowest C on piano and then slowly pressing down another C which is an octave higher without sounding it; when you play low C again making it loud and short, you will also hear silent C because its strings have been vibrating due to being held down silently while still being part of its harmonic series.
Q: What does musical notation look like for harmonics?
A: Musical notation for harmonics shows all of their individual notes within their respective harmonic series.
Q: Is there any audio example available to listen to harmonics?
A Yes - clicking here provides access to audio examples of what various harmonics sound like when combined together into one note or chord.
