Harmonics on instruments

Hi everybody.

I know that for example a tune fork gives less harmonics than a bell.
Am I wrong?
So I'd like to know what is the range of harmonics audible in nature
on various instruments or natural phenomenon (thunder, water
fall, ...)

I know that is possible electronically to produce pure tones without
harmonics and that it's possible produce for them harmonics of
different frequency but this are artificial notes.

I'm interested in natural acoustics sounds. I do some example:

When I play a central C on piano how many harmonics I hear? And when
I play the lower note of a piano?
And when I play the higher?

And what is the instrument that in average gives less harmonics? And
the one with more?

And how many harmonics are normally audible on a musical instrument?

Do you know some web site where I can find this information?

Ciao

Lorenzo

On Thu, 28 Sep 2000 gekovivo@altavista.com wrote:

> Hi everybody.
>
> I know that for example a tune fork gives less harmonics than a bell.
> Am I wrong?
> So I'd like to know what is the range of harmonics audible in nature
> on various instruments or natural phenomenon (thunder, water
> fall, ...)

I was taught that after the "clang tone" fades away, a tuning fork
produces a pure sine wave -- fundmanetal only, no harmonics.

> When I play a central C on piano how many harmonics I hear? And when
> I play the lower note of a piano?
> And when I play the higher?

Piano strings are multiple; unless the two or three strings are
identically tuned, you will hear quite a number.

> And what is the instrument that in average gives less harmonics? And
> the one with more?
I'd say, just off the top of my head, that a *Western* flute has the
fewest. For the most *harmonics*, probably a reed organ or a synthesizer.
For the most *inharmonic partials*, I'll guess cymbals.

>
> And how many harmonics are normally audible on a musical instrument?
>
What is audible depends on two things: the amplitudes and frequencies of
the harmonics. Generally, the human ear can hear between 16 and 20000
Hertz. Low amplitude harmonics in that frequency reange won;t be heard
either.

> Do you know some web site where I can find this information?
>
I don;t know about web sites, but there are quite a few books on acoustics
of musical instruments.
--
znmeb@teleport.com (M. Edward Borasky) http://www.teleport.com/~znmeb

If they named a street after Picabo Street, would it be called Picabo
Street, Street Street or Picabo Street Street?

Quite by chance by student was been looking at guitar sounds, and
there is clear harmonic material up to the 10th or 11th harmonic.
After that there are rather weak. That does not address how many you
can hear though.
We also looked at my thanpura, where the harmonics are strong beyond
that, 12 to 15 and still comparable with the fundamental (from memory).
==John ffitch

J.P.FFITCH@maths.bath.ac.uk wrote:
>
> Quite by chance by student was been looking at guitar sounds, and
> there is clear harmonic material up to the 10th or 11th harmonic.
> After that there are rather weak. That does not address how many you
> can hear though.
> We also looked at my thanpura, where the harmonics are strong beyond
> that, 12 to 15 and still comparable with the fundamental (from memory).
> ==John ffitch

Check a bass or better yet an upright bass.

db

--
* D a v i d B e a r d s l e y
* 49/32 R a d i o "all microtonal, all the time"
* http://www.virtulink.com/immp/lookhere.htm

I remember reading that there is a rare style of throat singing where
harmonics from the 27th through the 41st are resonated into prominence. I
also recall that harmonics of piano strings in a certain register are
audible through the 50th, and they get more and more stretches; the 50th is
stretched by like 5% (a minor second) above its harmonic series pitch.