MUSICAL PITCH OF 2-TONE COMPLEXES AND PREDICTIONS BY MODERN PITCH THEORIES

Most studies of the musical pitch of harmonic tone complexes have utilized signals comprising two or more successive harmonics. The present study provides systematic data on melodic interval recognition by three musically experienced subjects with sounds whose missing fundamentals were represented by two nonsuccessive harmonics nf0(n + m)f0delivered to separate ears. Data were obtained in the ranges 1 < n ≤9, 2 ≤m ≤4, and 200 Hz ≤f0≤ 1000 Hz. The data are interpreted in the light of three theories, the “optimum processor theory,” the “virtual pitch theory,” and the “pattern transformation theory.” For each theory, a constraint on performance is proposed based on interference between the “analytic” and “synthetic” pitch perception modes. The former is obtained with large spacings between harmonics, where listeners are more likely to perceive harmonics as individual tones, each having their own pitch. This degrades the listeners ability to hear the fundamental pitch. © 1979, Acoustical Society of America. All rights reserved.