Flageolet (harmonic)
Flageolet tones, or harmonics, are the high, flute-like notes you get when you only lightly touch a string at a node instead of pressing it down. Touch the string at its middle and the octave sounds; at a third, the twelfth; at a quarter, the double octave. In Tárrega’s “Capricho Árabe” in the sheet music archive, “harm. 7” appears in the very first bar.
- Natural
- open string lightly touched
- Artificial
- string stopped and also lightly touched at a node
- Sound
- high, often compared with a flute
- On the sheet
- e.g. “harm.” and diamond-shaped noteheads
An overtone instead of the fundamental
A vibrating string does not only sound along its whole length but at the same time in halves, thirds, quarters and so on. If you touch it very lightly at one of these dividing points, the fundamental vibration is suppressed. What remains is an overtone: at the half the octave sounds, at the third the octave plus a fifth, at the quarter the double octave. These notes sound high and are often compared with a whistle or a flute. Flageolet is also the name of a small duct flute.
Natural harmonics on the A string of a guitar (sounding)
First the open A string. Then the harmonics: at the 12th fret (middle of the string) A3, an octave higher; at the 7th fret (a third of the string) E4, an octave plus a fifth; at the 5th fret (a quarter of the string) A4, two octaves above the open string.
Natural and artificial
When an open string is lightly touched, it is called a natural harmonic. In an artificial harmonic one finger stops the string firmly and a second touches it lightly at a node of the shortened string. In notation there is then a normal note for the stopping finger and a diamond-shaped or square note for the light touch.
| Touched at | Guitar: fret | Sounds above the open string | Partial |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/2 of the string | 12 | octave | 2nd |
| 1/3 of the string | 7 (or 19) | octave + fifth (twelfth) | 3rd |
| 1/4 of the string | 5 | two octaves | 4th |
On the guitar, frets 12, 7 and 5 lie at a half, a third and a quarter of the string length; that is where the nodes are. You can find out more about partials on the page Harmonic series.
Harmonics in the sheet music archive
-
Capricho Árabe Francisco Tárrega (1852–1909), serenade for guitar · guitar · 3 pages
In the first bar, “harm. 7” appears above a chord of diamond-shaped noteheads: a harmonic at the 7th fret. Time signature 3/4, one ♭, “Andantino.”, the sixth string tuned down to D (“⑥ = D”).
Common mistakes
- Pressing the string down: Then you get an ordinary stopped note, not a harmonic.
- Touching between the frets instead of exactly over the fret wire: The node lies over the fret wire, not in front of it.
- Confusing the sound with the written note: The sheet may show either the fingering or the sounding pitch; the fret number helps you find it.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
Harmonic seriesPartialOpen stringOctaveTwelfthGuitarDouble stopScordaturaSul ponticello
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 4 October 2026
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