Hi, new here guys n gals. I've been playing about 2 yrs, learned on a floating trem. Recently got a fixed bridge guitar. I have noticed that I'd often get unwanted overtones fighting each other, obviously when I am holding a note for a bit. Usually I mute unplayed strings as much as possible but not always. My floater is not too big an issue, but I get this a lot on the fixed bridge guitar. My troubleshooting has showed me that I am getting vibration on unfretted strings and that is what is causing my noise ( kinda a warbling out of tunedness). I just need to touch the offending string and all is fine. The vibration is noticeably more on the fixed bridge than on the floating trem, when playing the same notes. ( Not just the sound mind you...I can tell that the string really is vibrating much more on my fixed bridge guitar) This is not me bumping strings, it seems my original played note causes my other strings, especially lower strings to vibrate on their own, evidentally thru acoustic physics. I assume the difference is due to the floating trem 'sucking' up vibration? I just know that the floating trem is easy to play and I can hit a note and hold it by itself and be pretty safe that it won't genrerate other vibration and thus the bad noise. With the fixed bridge guitar this is almost impossible and I find myself having to be super careful about muting evrything I possible can. Is this difference in vibration effect that I am seeing betweeen bridges normal??? Thanks.
I have noticed it is one particular note more than others, the 3rd string 9th fret E. It seems to cause my 5th and 6th strings to vibrate more thann any other note does. Hitting an E in other places does it too a bit, but this particular one is the worst. It does it on both guitars, but the fixed bridge one is worst.
The experts around here will probably want to know what kind of guitars you are playing.
Yes, it's normal.
You guessed right - there's physics at work. When you play a note, anything sensitive to that frequency will vibrate as well - it's called sympathetic vibration. Everything has resonant frequencies - even you (ever feel your chest vibrate from the bass frequencies at a concert?) An open string's resonant frequency is the note that it will play, so playing the exact same pitch on another string - or even another instrument in the same room - will set it vibrating, as long as the frequencies are exact. Bend your fretted note a little bit and they'll no longer be a dead match, and another principle, called destructive interference will make the sympathetic vibration stop.
Your floating trem is acting as a shock absorber, transferring away some of that sympathetic vibration.
Guitar teacher offering lessons in Plainfield IL
Floater! Ha!
I almost completely agree that notes is right but, I think the mass of the...floater (sorry) that is dampening the freq transference rather then the system absorbing it. A minor point. I could be wrong.
