Music and Math: The Harmonic Series Didi Park Harmonic Series (math)

Can you see the pattern? What is the next term in the series? Write out as many terms as you can! _______________________________________________________ Harmonic Series (music)

What do you think the waves represent? What are the similarities and differences between the math harmonic series and the music harmonic series?

Sine waves (sinusoids)

Musical tones are described by these sine waves, also called sinusoids. The red wave has a high frequency, and a higher pitch. The green wave has a lower frequency, and a lower pitch. Frequency is most often measured in hertz (Hz). I tune my cello to 441 Hz (thats an A). Any sound produced by an instrument is a complex tone. A complex tone is a combination of different sinusoids: sinusoids added together! When you add sinusoids together, you get a new sinusoid. That new sinusoid is called a partial. The fundamental frequency (fundamental for short) is the lowest possible frequency of a sound wave. On my cello, the C, G, D, and A strings have the fundamental frequencies. A harmonic is an integer multiple of the fundamental frequency of an object (an instrument). If f is the fundamental frequency, then the harmonics have frequencies 2f, 3f, 4f, etc. Octave harmonics are formed at 2f, 4f, 8f, 16f, etc. Inharmonicity is the measure of how much a partial deviates from its closest harmonic. My cello is perfectly harmonic, a guitar is nearly harmonic, a xylophone is approximately harmonic, and a snare drum is not harmonic. An overtone is any frequency higher than the fundamental frequency.