Overtone and G chords

[electrotele]

I have a 2016 Martin D-18. I don’t play it a ton but I love it and have been using a lot lately for some home recording. I was recently recording a song in G. When I listened to the track I noticed a pronounced harmonic overtone adding a second note to the open G. I narrowed it down to the D string with A overtone.

I tried playing a D on the A string fifth fret and I hear it there as well, though slightly less pronounced. I thought I’d try putting a capo on first fret and doing the song in Ab. The overtone is still there but in Bb. Same thing happens if I move up another fret - overtone raises a half step.

I tried tuning down a half step. Same thing.

Here is a sound sample of playing just the open D string and then an open G chord.

https://on.soundcloud.com/USj29Mjog2ZyBeBW6

I don’t know how I’ve never noticed it before. Is this typical? I feel like it can’t be. It seems so pronounced to me when playing a G chord.

[Glennwillow]

I don't hear anything in the recordings that sounds out of place.

- Glenn

[Bluemonk]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I don't hear anything in the recordings that sounds out of place.

- Glenn

Agree. I certainly hear overtones, but nothing that clashes with the fundamental tones.

[rick-slo]

Hear a bit of a overtone ring on the fourth (D) string but it's a third overtone (a D note overtone). Various overtones are part of the guitar's nature.

[gibpicker]

That D-18 sounds nice to me.

[b1j]

Sounds like you should play the D-18 more often.

[electrotele]

Thanks for listening. On the one hand, I’m very glad y’all think there is nothing wrong with my guitar. On the other hand, I’m wondering what’s wrong with me that I have now developed this heightened sensitivity to harmonic overtones. But it’s this one in particular on the D that creates an added second (to my newly acquired bionic ears at least) on the open G chord that is really bugging me.

I guess I need to find some way to zen it out or recalibrate whatever has become out of whack somewhere inside the ole noggin.

And yes, I need to play it more. It’s a lovely guitar.

[rick-slo]

Originally Posted by electrotele

Thanks for listening. On the one hand, I’m very glad y’all think there is nothing wrong with my guitar. On the other hand, I’m wondering what’s wrong with me that I have now developed this heightened sensitivity to harmonic overtones. But it’s this one in particular on the D that creates an added second (to my newly acquired bionic ears at least) on the open G chord that is really bugging me.

I guess I need to find some way to zen it out or recalibrate whatever has become out of whack somewhere inside the ole noggin.

And yes, I need to play it more. It’s a lovely guitar.

Don't know about bionic ears as most all of us are aware of and hear that various overtones and sympatheic vibrations between strings occur. The times that does not sound right there are string picking selections to chose among and string damping techniques to practice.

[electrotele]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Don't know about bionic ears as most all of us are aware of and hear that various overtones and sympatheic vibrations between strings occur. The times that does not sound right there are string picking selections to chose among and string damping techniques to practice.

I was merely being jocular regarding what seems like a sudden hyper awareness of those overtones. I’m fully aware that I’m not the only one to hear them…

[LFL Steve]

To me, there's music, and then there's math. I may not be phrasing it very well, but I think the idea will make overall sense.

Music: Some days I hear things and they sound "off" or not right. Some days I hear things and they sound glorious. I think it's just a matter of how my psyche is aligned with the cosmos at the moment. The things I'm hearing are probably the same, and how they sound to me is what's different.

Math: An A overtone on a D note is 1/3 of the vibrating length of the string (nodes at 7th and 19th frets), so it's a strong overtone and would generally be expected to be there. The only stronger overtone would be 1/2 the length, and that's a D note an octave up so it wouldn't stand out.

[musicman1951]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

I don't hear anything in the recordings that sounds out of place.

- Glenn

I don't hear an "A" in that G chord, and I would expect that to stick out a bit. I don't doubt that it's there in your room, but I don't hear it on the recording. Is it as pronounced in different rooms?

[sinistral]

The guitar sounds completely normal.

[rmp]

Sounds normal to me too

btw, what are recording that with? Do you have any way to use an equalizer after it's recorded? A parametric can dial out just about any over tone you're not liking

[Italuke]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Don't know about bionic ears as most all of us are aware of and hear that various overtones and sympatheic vibrations between strings occur. The times that does not sound right there are string picking selections to chose among and string damping techniques to practice.

Yes, seems like the guitar is fine but remember sometimes our technique will accidentally excite a harmonic of a string by how we release it. Could be that's what's happening. If it really is annoying then maybe try to clean up your fretting hand.

[electrotele]

Thanks for the additional input. I’ll just accept that the prominence of the overtone is something happening in how I am perceiving it rather than an issue with the guitar. These things do happen and I’ve got plenty of examples from my decades playing various instruments where I’ve heard something that wasn’t right to my ear that eventually dissipated, particularly after confirmation that no one else was hearing it.

As for the room question… I recorded it using a Mojotone Quiet Coil pickup (great inexpensive magnetic pickup - if you hear any noise/buzzing it’s because I am sitting directly in front of my computer monitor. When turned away from it the pickup is dead quiet). Anyway, I took the guitar into a different room to have my wife play a G chord so I could listen. Still there. Took off the pickup in case there was some interaction with the magnet causing it. Still there.

Maybe I’ll try a different set of strings. I did try to EQ some of it out. Marginal. As for technique, I’ve been playing guitar for 42 years, professionally for some of that time. If at this point my technique can’t manage an open G chord, well, I’ve really been fooling myself for far too long to stop now! :-)

But given that no one else can hear what I’m hearing, I’m chalking this up to a temporary perception issue that will resolve itself as these things tend to do.