Guitar Fundamentals: Frequency

1. Trevor Nathan Guitar Fundamentals:Frequency

2. Introduction • This experiment is focused on measuring the frequency of vibrations on guitar strings. Then using different fretting on different strings and measuring those. In all investigating the frequency when perceived as pitch on frets, and open strings.

3. Background Info • Sound is a wave, a pattern—simple or complex, depending on the sound—of changing air pressure. Sound is produced by vibrations of objects. The vibrations push and pull on air molecules. The pushes cause an increase in pressure, and the pulls cause a decrease in pressure. Since the air molecules are already in constant motion, increases and decreases in pressure starting at the original source are transmitted at rapid speeds through the air as an expanding wave.

4. Background Info (cont) • Guitars have six tightly-stretched steel or nylon strings which are picked with fingers or a pick to make them vibrate. The strings are kept in place under the bridge of the guitar by the bridge pins. Each string passes over the saddle on the bridge. The saddle transmits the vibrations through the bridge to the soundboard the guitar. The soundboard amplifies the sound of the strings. Strings vibrate at two points of a guitar, where it is stretched on the saddle, and on the opposite end on the nut.

5. Background Info (cont) • In finding the hertz of a fret, two things are taken into consideration. First there is the mass of the string. Strings with higher mass vibrate more slowly. On steel string guitars, the strings get thicker from higher to low. Lastly there is the length from the string. When a string is fretted, the pitch becomes higher and the length free to vibrate is shortened.

6. Materials • A guitar (Electric or an Acoustic) • Guitar Pick • Electronic Chromatic Tuner (or other electric tuners) • Lab Notebook • Pen or pencil

7. Procedures • Set up to play and record the notes with your chromatic tuner. The experiment is best done with a guitar that is in tune, it is best to tune the guitar. Place the chromatic tuner close enough to the guitar so that the tuner registers the note even when you play softly. • Pluck the open high E string. From the readout of the tuner write down the frequency of the note played.( If using a tuner without frequency readout, find frequency with a chromatic note converter chart). • Now fret the string just behind the first fret. • Pluck the string again. • Make sure the note is clear and ringing and write down the frequency of the note played. If the note does not play properly, adjust your fretting if necessary, and play the note again.

8. E-String(1st String)

9. A-String(2nd String)

10. D-String(3rd String)

11. G-String(4th String

12. B-String(5th String)

13. e-String(6th String)

14. Conclusion • When getting to higher frets and strings, the frequency levels start to jump to greater levels of hertz, with this information, my hypothesis is correct in that higher strings and frets give higher hertz levels than lower strings.

15. Bibliography • http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/guitar/intro_engl.html • Gives brief information on how the pitches or notes on the guitar translate into hertz levels. Also gives general information on vibration levels and sound in relation to guitar frequencies. • http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/guitar4.htm • Site gives a detailed introduction to the notes, scales, sound and parts on a guitar. For • http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/jw/notes.html • Page gives charts and info on relating hertz frequencies to chromatic notes on the guitar.