length of strings

Hi

I am brand new at this

My question is the following,

If the string length between the bridge & the nut is the same and you would barre at the first fret or at the nut why do you get different notes if the length is the same.

Thanks

Hey & welcome!

Originally Posted by: ELKAT100

If the string length between the bridge & the nut is the same and you would barre at the first fret or at the nut why do you get different notes if the length is the same.

If I understand your question, the difference is the mass.

Regarding the strings of any musical instrument, the pitch is determined by: length, tension & mass (thickness). So, the lower (or bass strings) are thicker so they have more mass & are lower in pitch. The strings get thinner & have less mass as they get higher. The result is that the strings can be about the same length, but maintain tunings at different pitches.

Hope that helps!

Thank you

I get the part about the mass that cleared it up for me

Just to get a little theoretical isnt the length and tension kind of related.

Meaning once I loosen or tighten the string I have changed the length

Thanks again for the answer

You're welcome!

Originally Posted by: ELKAT100

I get the part about the mass that cleared it up for me

Just to get a little theoretical isnt the length and tension kind of related.

Meaning once I loosen or tighten the string I have changed the length

Not really. You haven't changed the length of the string significantly unless you move the bridge or nut further away from each other. And those are pretty much fixed points unless you completely alter your guitar. And any given guitar is designed to be tuneable & playable only if the nut, bridge & frets are in within very precise parameters.

To be sure, when you detune the string, you might get a tiny bit more length in how much vertical time it travels when it vibrates. But not a significant amount.

Also, on most electric guitars you can adjust the bridge saddles a tiny bit to help with intonation. There might be a half-inch of possible motion on any given saddle. This does alter the length a tiny bit & thus helps fine tune the guitar. But once the bridge saddle is set in it's optimal location to make the guitar tuneable, then that's the length. And tightening or loosening the string doesn't change the overall length. Just the amount of tension.

Thank you for taking the time and replying in depth

Much appreciated

Thanks

Originally Posted by: ELKAT100

If the string length between the bridge & the nut is the same and you would barre at the first fret or at the nut why do you get different notes if the length is the same.

I wanted to focus on the bold stuff.

The actual note is not ringing off your finger pressure. The actual pitch of the note is ringing off the fret. Meaning, your finger pressure is to push the string down hard enough on the fret so that the string can ring off the pitch (note) that fret represents. Think of it literally this way; when you hear descriptions of '6th string/3rd Fret' (G), it literally means that the G is the third fret, not the fretboard space between the 2nd and 3rd fret. The distance (per Chris' explanation below) is always the distance between that fret (eg - 3rd/G) and the bridge.

So, when you barre on the first fret (F - if doing a full 6 string barre chord), no matter how close or far from the nut you place your finger within that space between the nut and the 1st fret, the string is ringing off that first fret and is why it is an F note and not a variation of the open E.

Also to add to Chris' explanation on length; tuning and detuning don't materially change the length of the string per se (this is a fixed point based on the tuning peg, nut and bridge) but it does change the tension. From a physics standpoint, that tension change alters that wavelength that string is projecting. Tighter? Faster wavelength and higher pitch. Looser? Slower wavelength and lower pitch.