Overtone
The tone sounding above the fundamental tone when a string or air column vibrates as a whole
Overtone refers to a series of higher-frequency harmonics that are produced along with the fundamental frequency when a musical instrument produces a sound. These harmonics have frequencies that are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency. Overtone is an important characteristic of the timbre or tone quality of an instrument, which can affect the instrument's sound and tone color. It can also be used for music composition and performance techniques.
Overtone is usually produced through specific playing techniques and instrument design. For example, on string instruments like guitar, harp, and guzheng, overtones can be produced by pressing the strings at specific lengths and positions; while on woodwind instruments, overtones can be produced by adjusting the airflow and the shape and position of the mouth.
Example of Overtone
Terminology Information
Vocabulary Category
Related Terms
Dictionary
Other Terms
Tutor's Video (Ho Nam)
Tutors
Articles
Common Practice Guide
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven, German composer, the predominant musical figure during the transition between the Classical to Romantic eras. He occupies an unprecedented dominance in the history of Western music history, and has been widely regarded as the greatest, most influential and most popular musician who ever lived.
Beethoven's music inherited the artistic atmosphere of Haydn and Mozart, penetrated the desire for dignity, vented the anger tortured by fate, and demonstrated his determination to fight with fate.
Compared to other musicians, Beethoven is effectively to interact the philosophy of life with audience through music. Although he was not a romantic, he had become the object followed by other romantics.
As a musician, Beethoven suffered from ear diseases. However, he was unwilling to succumb to fate, vowing to take fate by the throat, and continue to complete his career. In the last ten years of his life, without hearing any sound, his compositions influenced the development of music for nearly two hundred years.
