What does harmonics mean in music?

Left hand & fingerboard

Harmonics

Also: natural harmonics, artificial harmonics, flageolet

Harmonics are pure, flute-like tones produced by touching a string lightly at a node instead of pressing it to the fingerboard, notated with a small circle above the note.

Touching the string at its midpoint sounds the octave; at a third of its length, the octave plus a fifth; at a quarter, two octaves. These are natural harmonics, available at fixed points on each open string. Artificial harmonics stop the string with one finger and touch it a perfect fourth higher with another, producing a harmonic two octaves above the stopped note and making the technique available on any pitch.

Harmonics need very little bow pressure and a contact point closer to the bridge than usual; the commonest failure is squeezing, which kills the node and produces a stopped note or nothing. They also serve a practical purpose beyond colour, the octave harmonic is the standard reference for finding thumb position on the cello and bass.

Thumb position: Thumb position is a cello and double bass technique in which the left thumb leaves the back of the neck and presses down on the string itself, acting as a movable nut.
Open string: An open string is a string played with no left-hand finger stopping it, sounding the pitch the string is tuned to.
Sul ponticello: Sul ponticello is bowing very close to the bridge, which suppresses the fundamental and brings out high harmonics, producing a thin, glassy, metallic sound.
Intonation: Intonation is accuracy of pitch, on a fretless string instrument, the ongoing skill of placing each finger so the note is in tune with the harmony around it.

Every term in this glossary is taught in context somewhere in Arco's curricula, on the staff, on the keyboard, and on your own fingerboard at the same time.

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