Questions about 2 music notes?

Question

Why is it that two clear notes really really close together make a wavy sound?

Answer 1

when any two frequencies are combined two others are formed: the frequency of the sum and the frequency of the difference. these two additional pitches combine w/ the initial two to form the complex wave that you experience w/your ear. The closer the two initial pitches are the more audible this effect becomes; and, subjectively, the more discordant.

Answer 2

Let's use guitar as the source. If you were to take two strings and tune them to the same note, you would hear one note - doubled of course but still one note. Now, if you slightly detune one string to get to a point where it was a step below (one note below) and you plucked both strings while doing so , you would hear what you are talking about, the wavy sound. On a guitar , that is caused by the releasing tension of the string you are lowering and the amplitude of the sound as well. As the one strings pitch drops you will get that modulation that causes that sound, and you can actually feel it too. Pretty cool , huh?

Answer 3

I'm not exactly clear on what you're asking but since I'm a private music teacher, I'm going to try to answer!

If you're referring to two notes that are approximately on the same note but maybe 5% away from each others' frequencies, you kind of answered your own question. If you were to graph those notes on an oscilloscope, for instance, you would see that the higher note's waves are slightly shorter than that of the lower note's. It's that clash between the two which produces the harsh sound.

Answer 4

if they are exactly the same note, there will not be a wavy sound.

Answer 5

their 2 sound waves combine into a wave with a high amplitude... the wavy sound is the high peaks and valles of the high amplitude sound wave

Answer 6

its the sound waves intermingling...thats my best guess...if they are exactly in tune, you can hear a whole host of other pitches called overtones as well