Overtone

An overtone is a partial in a sound whose frequency exceeds the fundamental frequency. The first overtone is the partial immediately above the fundamental; it is not always the second harmonic.

Fundamental frequency: The lowest frequency component of a periodic sound, corresponding to its repetition rate. Overtones are defined by having frequencies above this reference frequency.
Standing wave: A wave pattern with fixed nodes and antinodes, formed by waves traveling in opposite directions. Resonant standing-wave modes establish the frequencies available as overtones.
Musical instrument: A device designed or adapted to produce musical sounds through vibration. Different instrument bodies and excitations produce characteristic overtone patterns.
Undertone: A partial below a sound's fundamental frequency. It lies on the opposite side of the fundamental from an overtone.
Partial (music): A single frequency component of a complex tone, whether or not it is harmonically related to other components. Overtones are the partials that lie above the fundamental.
Resonance: The enhanced response of a system when it is driven near one of its natural frequencies. Resonances can amplify particular overtones relative to others.
Vocal tract: The connected cavities and passages through which sound from the larynx is shaped into speech. Its resonances strengthen selected overtones to form vowel quality.
Subharmonic: A frequency that is an integer fraction of another frequency. Subharmonics sit below a reference frequency, unlike overtones.
Harmonic series (music): A sequence of frequencies that are integer multiples of a shared fundamental frequency. In harmonic sounds, overtones occupy positions in this frequency series.
Fourier analysis: A mathematical method that represents a signal as a sum of sinusoidal frequency components. It separates a complex sound into its fundamental and overtone partials.

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