Overtone

A higher-frequency component of a note, present alongside the fundamental and largely responsible for the instrument's timbre.

Every note contains a set of these components in specific intervals above the fundamental, and their relative strengths are what make a steel string sound different from a nylon one, or the same note played on the bridge pickup sound different from the neck. Overtone content also changes with playing position, because the string is excited differently depending on where it is picked. What a pickup senses is largely a matter of which overtones it emphasises.

Example: picking a note over the bridge strengthens the upper overtones and gives a bright, nasal tone, while picking over the neck favours the fundamental.

Overtone

See also