Also there is sympathetic vibrations. So for example if the rest of the orchestra is playing a note that is an open string on your instrument, that string will

Also there is sympathetic vibrations. So for example if the rest of the orchestra is playing a note that is an open string on your instrument, that string will vibrate even though you are not touching it. You also get a similar impact from overtones. So what happens is at a certain point is that you might not perceive the pitch difference, but you can detect a change in the timbre of sound (quality, tone, resonance).