Middle Ages/Geistliche Kultur#

Monochord#

The Monochord consists of a long wooden resonanator over which a string has been strung lengthwise. A moveable bridge under the string enables the division of the vibrating part of the string in differing proportions. A scale On the top of the resonator to show the divisions of the string (=interval). Simple divisions such as 1:2 = octave, 2:3 fifth produce consonances; complicated ones however produce dissonances.

The Monochord has been in use since antiquity as a means of demonstrating music theory. (E. Stadler)

Sound examples and pictures demonstrate the following possibilities. You just click on the shorter part of the string to get the overtone whose wave development is seen next to it. If you click on the longer part of the string, you'll hear the interval of the octave of the fundament: