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Interactive Earth: Geodynamics
The vibration of a guitar string results from the sum of an infinite number of vibrations whose frequencies are all multiples of a reference frequency called the fundamental. These individual vibrations are the vibration modes or harmonics.
The frequency of these vibrations depends on the length of the string. The shorter the string, the higher the frequency, and so the higher in pitch the sound is.
The first harmonic (the fundamental) is the one that contains the most energy. It is thus the one that we hear the most of.
This simulation enables us to isolate the first few harmonics, one by one, while knowing that, in reality, such a separation is impossible.
Click on "capo" to shorten the string.
Click on "harmonics" to see the beginning of the harmonic series.
Remark: It is not possible to isolate a single mode on a guitar string. The timbre of any single note results from the simultaneous superposition of all the modes. One should not teach that, to change a note, the guitarist selects just one harmonic to the detriment of others. It is in fact the length of the string that he must change, and this causes a whole new series of harmonics to be produced.
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