Overtone
['əʊvətəʊn] or ['ovɚ'ton]
Definition
(noun.) a harmonic with a frequency that is a multiple of the fundamental frequency.
(noun.) (usually plural) an ulterior implicit meaning or quality; 'overtones of despair'.
Inputed by Elvira--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) One of the harmonics faintly heard with and above a tone as it dies away, produced by some aliquot portion of the vibrating sting or column of air which yields the fundamental tone; one of the natural harmonic scale of tones, as the octave, twelfth, fifteenth, etc.; an aliquot or "partial" tone; a harmonic. See Harmonic, and Tone.
Editor: Miles
Definition
n. a harmonic because heard above its fundamental tone.
Typist: Perry
Examples
- If the string is made to vibrate in two parts, it gives forth two notes, the fundamental, and a note one octave higher than the fundamental; this is called the first overtone. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- The note produced by the vibration of one third of the original string is called the second overtone. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- It is really the presence or absence of overtones which enables us to distinguish the note of the piano from that of the violin, flute, or clarinet. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- If, on the other hand, it vibrates in such a way that overtones are present, the tone given forth is full and rich and the sensation is pleasing. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- The presence of high overtones in the oboe and the presence of odd-numbered overtones in the clarinet enable us to distinguish without fail the sounds given out by these instruments. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- A song played on tuning forks instead of on strings would be lifeless and unsatisfying because of the absence of overtones. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- Air columns vibrate in segments just as do strings, and the tone emitted by a pipe of given length is complex, consisting of the fundamental and one or more overtones. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- The greater the number of overtones present, the richer the tone produced. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- The great defect of that instrument was the rendering of the overtones in music, and the hissing consonants in speech. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- The untrained ear is not conscious of overtones and recognizes only the strong dominant fundamental. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- The fundamental note in every instrument is the same, but the overtones vary with the instrument and lend individuality to each. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- Mechanical differences in construction account for prominent and numerous overtones in some instruments and for feeble and few overtones in others. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- The presence of overtones determines the quality of the sound produced. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- A tuning fork cannot vibrate in more than one way, and hence has no overtones, and its tone, while clear and sweet, is far less pleasing than the same note produced by a violin or piano. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
- If overtones could be eliminated, then middle C, or any other note on the piano, would be indistinguishable from that same note sounded on any other instrument. Bertha M. Clark. General Science.
Typed by Claire