High frequency sound waves are known as what?

High frequency sound waves are referred to as overtones. Overtones occur above the fundamental frequency and provide richness and complexity to sound. In western music, the fundamental tone is the lowest frequency produced by a vibrating system, with the overtones being higher frequencies that resonate along with it.

In musical terms, overtones include both harmonics, which are integer multiples of the fundamental frequency, and non-harmonic frequencies. They play a significant role in defining the timbre or quality of a sound, affecting how we perceive different instruments or voices. High frequency content, which lies in the overtone range, contributes to the brightness and clarity of sounds.

While bass tones typically refer to low frequency sounds, subsonics are frequencies that fall below the range of human hearing. Fundamental tones, on the other hand, refer to the lowest pitch of a sound frequency and do not encompass the higher frequency overtones. Therefore, identifying high frequency sound waves accurately as overtones aligns with an understanding of sound wave behavior and musical acoustics.