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Harmonics on different musical instruments

The pitches of harmonics, apart from the octaves, do not coincide with the pitches of notes in 12-tone equal temperament, which nowadays is, for different reasons, the most commonly used. Consequently, it is first indicated which are the specific pitches, in cents, of the main harmonics. Additionally, the harmonic series also indicates which notes can be played on a musical instrument with the same position or fingering. For example, in wind instruments, this is achieved by varying the air pressure. In contrast, in string instruments, this is achieved by preventing the string to vibrate in specific ways. These techniques are illustrated with examples for different brass, woodwind, and string instruments.


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