Part 2
The Physics of Percussion
Why do strings sound musical while drums sound noisy? A vibrating string produces partials at neat integer multiples (2x, 3x, 4x...) of a base frequency, and your brain fuses them into a clear pitch. A drum membrane vibrates in complex 2D patterns, producing partials at messy ratios like 1.59x and 2.14x, too jumbled for your brain to hear a note. Use the two fader banks below to hear the difference for yourself.
Read the original article on Sound On Sound →Waveform
Mode
Plucked: harmonic partials fire and decay. Higher ones die faster, like a guitar string.
Pitch
Harmonic (String)
Partials at exact integer multiples of the base frequency, producing a clear, pitched tone.
Inharmonic (Drum)
Partials at non-integer ratios (from Bessel functions), producing a noisy, unpitched tone like a drum.