natural harmonics
Ethereal, flute-like tones produced on string instruments by lightly touching the string at specific nodal points while bowing, allowing only certain overtones to sound.
In Depth
The harmonic series produced by touching a string at fractional points follows exactly the same mathematical pattern as the overtone series — a physical demonstration of the fundamental relationship between mathematics and music that has fascinated scientists since Pythagoras.
Related Terms
More in Techniques
Browse allSinging without instrumental accompaniment, with voices providing all musical parts.
The musical background that supports a solo melody or voice.
At the performer's discretion — an instruction allowing freedom in tempo, ornamentation, or inclusion.
An accent created by slightly lengthening a note rather than playing it louder, using duration rather than volume to create emphasis.
A left-hand keyboard accompaniment pattern that breaks a chord into a repeated sequence of low-high-middle-high notes, creating a gentle, flowing texture.
A broken-chord accompaniment pattern in which the notes of a chord are played in the order lowest-highest-middle-highest
The ubiquitous left-hand keyboard accompaniment pattern of low-high-middle-high notes, named after Domenico Alberti, that defines the texture of Classical-era piano music.
A guitar picking technique that strictly alternates between downstrokes and upstrokes.