December 15, 2006
Our First Overtone Comes in at 6.6 - That's 6.8 Times the Fundamental Frequency

The first overtone on a kalimba tine is supposed to be at a frequency 6.3 times higher than the fundamental. David Chapman was getting a frequency ratio of 5.3 - 5.86 for his kalimba. With my Hugh Tracey TM Alto, ignoring the octave (which is present in every tine's vibration), I find that the frequency ratio ranges from 6.62 to 6.77, but that the highest tines do not show this overtone at all.

Note	Fundamental	Overtone	Frequency Ratio
B	248	1645	6.63
D	293	1958	6.68
F#	369	2498	6.77
A	439	2936	6.69
C	525	3477	6.62
E	659	none	none
G	783	none	none

Frequency ratio is apparently a function of kalimba design.