7-4
played. Rather, all these vibrations are added together to form a complex
or composite sound that our ear perceives as a single tone.
This composite waveform still doesn't account for the uniqueness of the
sound of different instruments. For example, stringed instruments
usually have a resonator. In the case of the guitar, the resonator is the
big block of hollow wood to which the string is attached (the guitar body).
This has a major impact on the sound we perceive when a guitar is
played because it enhances or ampliÞes some of the vibrations produced
by the string and diminishes or attenuates others. The ultimate effect of
all the vibrations occurring simultaneously, being altered by the
resonator, adds up to the sound we know as guitar.
Waveforms
A sound wave can be represented in many different ways: as a
mathematical formula, as a series of numbers, or graphically as a
waveform. A waveform displays the size, or amplitude, of the
Fundamental
frequency (1f)
100% amplitude
2x fundamental (2f)
50% amplitude
3x fundamental (3f)
33% amplitude
4x fundamental (4f)
25% amplitude
5x fundamental (5f)
20% amplitude
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