Natural tones
Natural tones are the notes that sound along in every tone of a vibrating string or air column: the fundamental and its whole-number multiples. On the guitar you can make them audible one at a time as harmonics, by lightly touching the string at certain dividing points.
- Series
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd … natural tone = multiples of the fundamental frequency
- On the guitar
- harmonics at 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 … of the string length
- Example
- high E string, 329.63 Hz
- Related
- overtone, partial, tone colour
What sounds along in every note
The page Intervals describes it in the “overtone series” section of each interval: a struck string produces not only its fundamental but lets a whole series of overtones sound along. It is precisely this overtone structure that distinguishes a violin from a trumpet or a voice. The open string is already the first natural tone; all higher natural tones, that is, octave, fifth, major third, minor seventh and so on, are contained in this fundamental and shape its tone colour.
Natural tones of the high E string
Natural tones 1 to 6 above the fundamental E4: octave, octave plus fifth, two octaves, two octaves plus major third, two octaves plus fifth. The 3rd and 5th natural tones are marked, two of the easiest harmonics to produce on the guitar.
Harmonics: making the series audible
If you touch the string very lightly at a dividing point and strike it at the same time, a single natural tone sounds. The page Intervals gives the positions and results for the high E string (329.63 Hz):
| Natural tone | Position above the fundamental | Touch the string at | Note on the high E string |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3rd | octave + perfect fifth | 1/3 or 2/3 (above the 7th fret) | B, approx. 989 Hz |
| 4th | two octaves | 1/4 or 3/4 | E, approx. 1319 Hz |
| 5th | two octaves + major third | 1/5, 2/5, 3/5 or 4/5 | G♯, approx. 1648 Hz |
| 6th | two octaves + perfect fifth | 1/6 or 5/6 | B, approx. 1978 Hz |
| 8th | three octaves | 1/8, 3/8, 5/8 or 7/8 | E, approx. 2637 Hz |
After the octave, the 3rd natural tone is the best-known harmonic and on the guitar lies directly above the 7th (or 19th) fret. The 5th natural tone is one of the easiest of all to produce. For the 9th natural tone you touch at 1/9, 2/9 or 4/9, but not at 3/9, because the 3rd natural tone sounds there.
Connection with the intervals
The ratios of the perfect intervals are found in the series itself: 2:1 for the octave, 3:2 between the 2nd and 3rd natural tones for the fifth, 4:3 between the 3rd and 4th for the fourth, 5:4 between the 4th and 5th for the major third. The article Why the fifth sounds hollow calls the fifth the third partial of the overtone series: anyone who plays a fifth is therefore merely doubling what sounds anyway.
Not everything can be shown as a natural tone. According to the page Intervals the tritone does not lie in the natural series. The 7th natural tone (ratio 7:4) lies about 31 cents lower than the equal-tempered minor seventh: the series and equal temperament do not agree in everything.
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Related terms
Perfect intervalsOctavePerfect fifthMajor thirdJust intonationTone colourWave
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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