Talk:Harmonic series (music)

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Not sure that assertion concerning combination tones contradicts overtone series as source of consonance and dissonance.

The discussion designed to rebut the concept of natural harmonic series as source of consonance and dissonance does not argue well. The writer is merely demonstrating that these sine wave frequencies are members of a natural harmonic series, but not the holders of the fundimental frequency. All lowest common denominator calculations are merely indicating the harmonic series to which both frequencies belong. The higher the partial numbers of teh two frequencies, the more dissoonant those frequencies appear will be percieved. This article needs cleanup. Davidbrucesmith 07:36, 21 February 2007 (UTC)


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[edit] Barbershop

On the use of the term "overtone", this page says: "Barbershop uses overtone colloquially in reference to the psychoacoustic phenomenon of close harmony." But the Barbershop music page and other info I've seen emphasis the use of Just intonation and the resulting resonant "ringing" sound. Unless I'm mistaken (quite possible), I don't think "overtone" just means "close harmony" in barbershop.. ? Pfly 07:47, 9 March 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Overtones are always harmonic up to the 7th degree (the sixth overtone)

This article is incorrect in:

[edit] Terminology

Likewise, many musicians use the term overtones as a synonym for harmonics, though not all overtones are necessarily harmonic, some are inharmonic or non-harmonic.

  • No, they are harmonic, otherwise the overtone doesn't resonate. The 7/5 is a dissonant in the minor and major scale, but this doesn't mean the 7/5 isn't harmonic with the fundamental. The tone is enharmonic with all other tones of the interval: the perfect 5th (3/2), the perfect 4th (4/3), the major 3rd (5/4), the minor 3rd (6/5). So that's the reason why the 7/5 isn't in the major and minor scale, not because it's not harmonic with it the fundamental.

That is, an overtone may be any frequency that sounds along with the fundamental tone, regardless of its relationship to the fundamental frequency. The sound of a cymbal or tam-tam includes overtones that are not harmonics; that's why the gong's sound doesn't seem to have a very definite pitch compared to the same fundamental note played on a piano.

  • That's a different topic. A bell has a combined tone because of its non-perfect shape, this can (and in reality is always) be a combination of enharmonic notes.Houtlijm 07:37, 18 August 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Harmonic serie on the moodswinger

From what I have experienced all overtones up to the 7th grade are clearly harmonic to the fundamental. If you go behind the 7th overtone, the string doesn't clearly resonate anymore, with the exception of the prime positions (8/1, 9/1, ->16/1). So the main dotted harmonic serie mentioned at moodswinger is the perfect consonant serie related to the fundamental tone. The 2nd smaller line serie (8/1 -> 16/1) mentioned at the instrument are less consonant, because the string only clearly resonates at the prime overtone. (14/1 is clear, 14/3 or 14/5 for example cannot be heard clearly). 8/3 and 8/5 are maybe also consonant, but that's shaky. I'm still considering to put those tones in the scales, because they are important tones for the minor scale. They are the Plutos of the consonant harmonic serie.YuriLandman 07:58, 18 August 2007 (UTC)