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How does the place where a string is plucked change its sound?

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Koto — stringed instrument A Japanese musician plucking the strings of a koto with the right hand to generate a pitch and pressing the strings with the left hand to alter the tone.

On most stringed instruments, the player can vary the tone quality by choosing to pluck, strike, or bow the string at different points along its length.1

The location where a string is set into motion significantly influences the resulting timbre, or tone color, because it determines which overtones are emphasized or suppressed. When a string vibrates, it produces a fundamental pitch along with a series of higher-frequency harmonics. By changing the plucking position, a musician can favor specific harmonics, thereby altering the character of the sound produced.213

For example, plucking a string with a sharp point, such as a plectrum or a fingernail, emphasizes higher overtones, which creates a "brighter" sound quality. Conversely, using a softer contact point tends to emphasize the fundamental pitch, resulting in a different tonal texture. This ability to manipulate the overtone structure through the point of excitation is a fundamental technique for shaping the expressive qualities of stringed instruments.1