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  • Know Your Music - Wolf Tones

    According to Wikipedia, "a wolf tone, or simply a "wolf", is produced when a played note matches the natural resonating frequency of the body of a musical instrument, producing a sustaining sympathetic artificial overtone that amplifies and expands the frequencies of the original note, frequently accompanied by an oscillating beating (due to the uneven frequencies between the natural note and artificial overtone) which may be likened to the howling of the animal. A similar phenomenon is the beating produced by a wolf interval, which is usually the interval between E♭ and G♯ of the various non-circulating temperaments."

    To more fully understand the practical presence of the "howling wolf", and how to reduce its effect, read this article from Strings Magazine. The article focuses on the cello wolf tone, but it applies to all stringed instruments.

    Cello wolf tone:




    Bass wolf tone:




    Here is a video of a certain brand of wolf eliminator, and how it comes to control the vibration.



    Not every stringed instrument will produce wolf tones; it depends on the type/cut of the wood and the construction of the instrument.

    In summary, wolf tones happen when the resonating frequency of the note being played matches the natural frequency of the wood on the instrument itself.
    Comments 3 Comments
    1. TobiasMan's Avatar
      TobiasMan -
      I have a resonance on the open E string on my EUB. If I leave it sit with the volume on, it will often start a feedback loop on that string, so I make sure that I turn the volume off when I'm not playing it. If I just play an open E and let it ring, it will continue for a very long time. It never sounds nasty, like the examples in those videos, just very resonant. Since it isn't hollow, the magnetic Wolf Eliminator wouldn't work, but the one that goes onto the string below the bridge might.

      It's not a major issue, but an interesting option to look into.
    1. Elmeaux's Avatar
      Elmeaux -
      I find it interesting that you can also use them to change other tonal qualities in your playing.
    1. TobiasMan's Avatar
      TobiasMan -
      Yep. Clearly acoustic instruments, and to a lesser extent solid body instruments, create their sound/tones from vibrations in the wood/body. Things that can reinforce those vibrations can make the sound stronger/louder, so to the extent that these tools (more specifically the magnetic one) can tame hot spots or reinforce tones in some areas, they can clearly impact the tone of the instrument.
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