Inharmonic Sounds: Implications as to «Pitch», «Timbre» and «Consonance»

Abstract

This paper relates the structure of certain types of inharmonic complex sounds such as produced by idiophones (gongs, bells, etc.) to perceptual observations as well as to models of pitch and timbre perception. Since most of the current models operate in the time domain focussing on the concept of periodicity, it is argued that perception of pitch of inharmonic sounds, in general, is more ambiguous because (quasi-)periodicity in many such signals is more difficult to detect. Periodicity typically deteriorates with increasing inharmonicity of spectral components while it is maximum in perfectly harmonic spectra. Thereby a clear relationship between the temporal structure of a signal as reflected by its time function and wave-shape, and its spectral composition can be established that is of relevance also as to perception of timbre and consonance.