Plucked-string spectra reveal the plucking point through nulled harmonics

Evidence

The pluck position can be estimated from the spectra by looking for those harmonics that are reduced in amplitude and are integer multiples of each other (see Equation 4.2a). The lute spectrum suggests a pluck point at approximately one sixth of the string length due to the clear amplitude dips in the sixth and twelfth harmonics, but there are also clear dips at the fifteenth and twentieth harmonics. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1127

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Plucking position on a string determines which harmonic modes are suppressed — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1107; Plucked strings vibrate as a sum of harmonic partials, not as a pure tone — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1398; Any plucked string shape decomposes into sinusoidal standing-wave modes — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 846 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• Plucking position on a string determines which harmonic modes are suppressed #expands (0.95) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1107
• A stringed instrument’s pluck position can be read from harmonic amplitude dips. #corroborates (0.95)
• Plucking a string at a node suppresses every Nth harmonic #exemplifies (0.93)
• Plucking position on a string suppresses modes with nodes there #expands (0.92) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1083
• Only exact integer-fraction plucking positions completely suppress harmonic modes #qualifies (0.90) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1111
• Instrument spectra blend source and modifier effects, revealing pluck position. #expands (0.88)
• Any plucked string shape decomposes into sinusoidal standing-wave modes #expands (0.80) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 846
• Double-kink string modes produce the octave via a center node #expands (0.78) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1753
• Plucked strings vibrate as a sum of harmonic partials, not as a pure tone #qualifies (0.72) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1398