Interactive museum of musical sound

Pluck the string.

The instrument is a monochord: one string over a sounding box, stopped by a movable bridge. Choose equal parts, then pluck. A shorter sounding length makes a higher pitch.

What to notice

Simple ratios of string length make familiar intervals.

Divide the length by two. The frequency doubles.

Two tones lock together when both waves return to their starting phase after a few cycles. At 2:1 that happens every cycle. Bigger numbers make the ear wait longer for the pattern to come round.

1whole string

½octave

⅔fifth

¾fourth

⅘major third

Exhibit directory

Choose any room.

Free exploration opens one sound question at a time.

This is a monochord.

One string is stretched over a sounding box between two fixed ends. The rule beneath it measures the string, and the movable bridge stops it wherever you set it. Musicians and early students of nature both worked with this instrument, because it turns a length you can measure into a pitch you can hear. Set the equal parts, watch the bridge slide, then pluck. The shorter the sounding length, the higher the pitch.

One string over a sounding box, a rule that measures it, and a bridge that stops it. Musicians and early students of nature both used this instrument to turn a measured length into a pitch. Set the equal parts, watch the bridge slide, then pluck. The shorter the sounding length, the higher the pitch.