What are Harmonics?
Harmonics occur when a sound-producing object, like a guitar string or your vocal cords, vibrates. It doesn’t just vibrate at one frequency; instead, it vibrates at multiple frequencies at the same time. The lowest frequency is called the fundamental frequency, while the higher frequencies that naturally occur alongside it are called harmonics or overtones.
Imagine a jump rope: When you skip it, the entire rope moves up and down in one big wave. However, if you look closely, you’ll notice it can also create smaller, faster waves along the rope. In sound, the big wave represents the fundamental frequency, while the smaller, faster waves are the harmonics. Together, they add richness and complexity to the sound.
Another example is throwing a pebble into water. When the pebble hits the surface, it creates ripples that spread out. The first, biggest ripple is like the fundamental frequency—the main pitch or sound you hear. If you look closer, you’ll see smaller ripples around it, which represent the harmonics—the higher frequencies that naturally occur alongside the main sound.
When air passes through your vocal folds, they vibrate to produce your main pitch, but because they are flexible, they also create additional, smaller vibrations (harmonics). These harmonics enrich the sound, just like the smaller ripples add more detail to the water’s movement after the pebble lands. Together, the fundamental frequency and the harmonics give your voice its unique quality and richness.
Timbre
Harmonics play a crucial role in creating timbre, the unique quality or “color” of a sound. Timbre is what allows us to tell the difference between sounds, like a piano and a violin playing the same note, or two people singing the same pitch but sounding completely different. This uniqueness comes from the specific combination of harmonics each instrument or voice produces.
For example, when a piano and a flute play the same note, we can easily tell them apart, even without looking, because their timbres are different.
Even within a single voice, the shape of the mouth, the tension in the vocal cords, and the position of the tongue all influence which harmonics are produced. This is why two people can sing the same note but sound different—their unique vocal tract shapes and the way they produce sound create a distinctive timbre.
In essence, harmonics not only contribute to the richness of sound but also serve as the foundation for the uniqueness of every instrument and voice, making music and speech a diverse and captivating experience.
Formants
Formants are like the “sweet spots” in the instrument where specific harmonics get a boost. These formants create the distinct character of a sound, similar to how the shape of a paper towel roll changes the sound it produces. The unique combination of your vocal tract shape, vocal folds, and how you project your voice shapes these formants, giving your voice its one-of-a-kind sound.
Putting Everything Together
Paper Towel Roll Analogy
Let’s connect harmonics, timbre, and formants using a paper towel roll analogy:
When you blow across the top of a paper towel roll, it creates a main sound (the fundamental frequency). The paper towel roll is a tube that can be shaped in various ways. If you pinch the roll or change its length, you alter the shape of the air column inside. This affects which harmonics are amplified or reduced, just like different instruments highlight certain sounds.
Your Head is an Instrument
Think of your head—specifically, your vocal tract—as being similar to the paper towel roll. Everyone has a uniquely sized vocal tract, which means that different formants are emphasized when you speak or sing. Just as the shape and length of a paper towel roll affect the sounds it produces, the unique shape of your vocal tract shapes your voice, giving it a distinct timbre.
Imagine if you had a “Freaky Friday” moment and switched heads with someone else. You would sound like them because your vocal tract’s shape, size, and unique characteristics would change how your voice sounds!
The Healthy Voice is a Shape-Shifting Voice
Singers make micro-adjustments in their voices to help bring out different resonances or changes to the vocal tract. So, while no one is going to sound exactly the same, we are pretty good at copying others. The human voice can mimic what a piano or a guitar sounds like by emphasizing different formants. This is unique to the human voice because a piano will always sound like a piano, and a guitar will only sound like a guitar. In contrast, the human voice can shift to produce various sounds.
When you sing, it’s impractical to think about all of this. However, you might spend a lot of time in lessons learning how to bring a sound “forward” or “lift the soft palate.” All of this is in an attempt to shift your resonance strategy and alter the formants.
Why Imitating Singers is a Good Practice Strategy
Many new singers come to vocal lessons wanting to “find their voice.” They often report being able to copy other voices they hear but struggle to identify their own. However, this ability to mimic others can actually be a valuable strategy. By exploring and imitating different vocal styles, singers can discover various resonance techniques that work for them. Once they understand how these techniques function, they can adapt and apply them to develop their own unique style when they’re ready.
That’s why voice lessons are so valuable. A teacher listens to you, observes your unique vocal qualities, and demonstrates various techniques. You then have the opportunity to copy these demonstrations, which helps you learn how to modify your sound and explore different aspects of your voice.