Why do the same notes plucked on a banjo and on a guitar have distinctly different sounds?
Solution 12RQ Step 1: Even if we plucked the same note on a guitar and a banjo, it will be appearing as different sounds because of the different harmonics related to each instrument. Both of them are string instruments, but, there is a possibility of producing another different frequency too along with the fundamental frequency. The frequencies produced along with the fundamental frequency which are slightly higher than that of the fundamental frequencies are known as overtones. The fundamental frequency produced and the overtones produced together decide the actual sound of the instrument and this is called as “partials”. The partials generated by banjo and guitar may be different, even if we pluck the same note on both due to the instruments physical characteristics and the mode of plucking etc. Conclusion This is due to the generation of different partials by both instruments and different quality sounds produced by it.
