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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 amplifies 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 vibration as a function of time. For
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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