Bell Harmonic Partials: Difference between revisions

A harmonic partial is any one of a series of pure tones (sine waves) which usually accompany the prime tone (fundamental) produced by the vibrating or resonant components of a musical instrument. The fundamental is the string tone produced by the vibration of the whole string, or the entire column of air in the pipe; the partial tones are produced by the vibration of fractional parts of that string or air-column. Harmonic tones such as these are also obtained, on any stringed instrument which is stopped (guitar, violin, zither), by lightly touching a nodal point of a string.

When the ear-brain hears combinations of high tones, we think we hear a single lower tone. For instance a combination of a Nominal with an octave-Quint sounds like a single tone lower than them both. This may explain why Big Ben sounds to most listeners like an A even though it was cast to be an E.

[[Category:Campanology]]