If you thighten a guitar string, the pitch rises.?

Question

If you do the same with a rubber band, the pitch stays the same or becomes lower rather than higher? Why?

Answer 1

it goes higher

Answer 2

The frequency and therefore the pitch depend on the wave speed. Wave speed = sqrt (Tension/mass per unit length).

Rubber is unusal in that a relatively small force can cause a very large extension. Indeed, it is possible to stretch rubber to about 7 times its original length.

So the increase in tension tends to INCREASE the frequency. The increase in the length will tend to DECREASE mass per unit length, which will also INCREASE the frequency.

However, the effects are modest because you are stretching the rubber by hand, whereas a guitar string is usually tightened by a tuner which can impose a huge increase in tension on a string.

So the pitch of a rubber band may well seem to remain constant, but I assure you that it does increase slightly.

Answer 3

I have not tried this but I suggest the pitch is related to the Tension of the band/string and crucially its LENGTH. When you tighten a guitar string its length does not change. When you tighten a rubber band its length changes considerably.

The increase in length could be cancelling the increase in tension over part of the range of your "experiment".

Answer 4

You can get different notes out of a rubber band depending on where you pluck. I belive this must be something to do with harmonics, and the band vibrating in different numbers of sections.

You can certainly get different notes out of a guitar string if you place your finger on it in the right place. I use this method to tune my classical guitar once I've set the G string from a tuning fork. This technique allows you to adjust a string while it is still sounding, and enables you to eliminate 'beats'.

Answer 5

If you increase the tension of a string it will automatically increase the pitch as the frequency increases as
Tension(as when u tight it) is directly proportional to the frequency thereby increasing the pitch.

The pitch increases in the rubber band

Answer 6

because guitar strings are made from different types of meatle depending on which ones you buy, when metal it tightened it becomes stiffer and harder to move giving it a tighter, higher sound as meatle can'e majorly be streched nut with rubber bands they are made to strech and are made of a different material that gives a deeper boing sound the more it is streched but if you have a wide rubber band and do the same you will notice that when streched the pitch boings but also you hear i higher tone as the band becomes thinner, you get deeper sounds with thicker strings and bands than you do with thinner ones

Answer 7

Pitch rises with a tighter string, and a tighter rubber band. Lowers with a loser string and a loser rubber band

Answer 8

I dont know what kind of rubber bands your using but a rubber band does the same!

Answer 9

I'm confused.

I've just tried tighening a rubber band and have noticed (an expected) rise in pitch.

Please expand your theory, or try tightening a rubber band again.

Answer 10

It goes higher, because the string is now more taut. This means it vibrates faster (i.e vibrates at a higher frequency) and therefore produces a higher pitch.

If it vibrates at a higher frequency, it's wavelength is shortened. We hear the frequency, not the wavelength.

Answer 11

you obviously dont have an ear for music.you raise the pitch by tightening.