A simple component of a complex tone. When a musical instrument produces a note, say, middle C, it will produce a complex tone in which the fundamental frequency is mixed with a number of partials. Some of these partials, for example, if the note is produced by bowing a taut string, will be harmonics, i.e. integral multiples of the fundamental. If the string is struck, however, some of the partials can be inexact multiples of the fundamental. Partials are not therefore identical with harmonics.