Overtone

overtone

In acoustics, a faint higher tone contained within almost any musical tone. A body producing a musical pitch—such as a taut string or a column of air within the tubular body of a wind instrument—vibrates not only as a unit but simultaneously also in sections, resulting in the presence of a series of overtones within the fundamental tone (i.e., the one identified as the actual pitch). Harmonics are a series of overtones resulting when the partial vibrations are of equal sections (e.g., halves, thirds, fourths). Partials are nonharmonic overtones—that is, tones the frequencies of which lie outside the harmonic series. Overtones contribute greatly to the timbre of a given sound source, even though few listeners are aware of hearing any pitch except the fundamental. There are a few rare examples of the human voice creating overtones, notably in the chants of the Tibetan monks and the songs of the Tuvan throat singers. The latter can sometimes produce two overtones.

---

overtone

Music Acoustics any of the tones, with the exception of the fundamental, that constitute a musical sound and contribute to its quality, each having a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency

---

overtone [′ō·vər‚tōn]

(acoustics)

A component of a complex sound whose frequency is an integral multiple, greater than 1, of the fundamental frequency.

A component of a complex tone having a pitch higher than that of the fundamental pitch.

(mechanics)

One of the normal modes of vibration of a vibrating system whose frequency is greater than that of the fundamental mode.

(physics)

A harmonic other than the fundamental component.

---

Overtone 

a constituent tone of a complex vibration (mechanical, including sound and electrical, vibrations) having a frequency higher than that of the fundamental tone. The ratio of the frequencies of the overtones to the fundamental tone is shown by breaking the complex vibration down into a series. Overtones whose frequencies are integral multiples of the frequency of the fundamental are called harmonic overtones, or harmonics. All other overtones are nonharmonic. An overtone can be separated by means of a resonator.

A musical sound is composed of the fundamental tone and the harmonic overtones, or partials. Overtones occur because a sounding body (string, air column) vibrates not only as a whole but also in sections (1/2, 1/3, 1/4). Overtones are weaker than the fundamental tone, and thus blend with it. As a result, they are not detected by the ear. However, the presence and relative force of each overtone determine the timbre of a sound. Nonharmonic overtones are inherent to sirens, bells, and various noises.