See the spectrum
Frequency analyzer
The pitch detector collapses a sound to one number. This page refuses to. The spectrum draws energy across frequency so you can see a fundamental and the harmonics stacked above it. Switch to the waveform when you want the shape of the pluck itself: the attack, the decay, the quiet between notes. A peak readout names the strongest bin, which is often the fundamental and sometimes a loud harmonic.
How to read a guitar note
Pluck one open string and you should see a bump near its pitch: about 82 Hz for low E, 110 for A, 147 for D, 196 for G, 247 for B, 330 for high E. Smaller bumps at multiples are harmonics, and they are normal. A full strum fills the picture. That busy picture is not a chord symbol. If you need the note name, use the pitch detector. If you need cents against a string, use the tuner.
Limits
A laptop mic in a kitchen will show the room as well as the guitar. Low frequencies from a fan can dwarf a quiet string. Move closer, pluck clearer, and do not treat a pretty graph as a diagnosis of the instrument.
Questions
- Why do harmonics look taller sometimes?
- The loudest bin is not always the fundamental, especially on a thin string or with a bright pick attack. Check the landmark frequencies before you trust the peak label.
- Does it record?
- No. It draws while the microphone is on and drops the picture when you stop.