Chord consonance is computed from individual harmonic proximity across the notes

Evidence

For each note of the chord, each harmonic that would be resolved by the hearing system if the note were played alone, that is all harmonics up to about the seventh, contributes to the overall perception of consonance or dissonance depending on its frequency proximity to a harmonic of another note in the chord. This contribution can be assessed based on the conclusions from Figure 3.16. The overall consonance (dissonance) of a chord is based on the total consonance (dissonance) contribution from each of these harmonics. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 943

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains the mechanistic basis by which the hearing system derives a chord’s consonance from its resolved partials.
• XREF: connects to: Interval consonance ranking derives from critical-bandwidth proximity between harmonics — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 958

Broader Connections

• Interval consonance ranking derives from critical-bandwidth proximity between harmonics #corroborates (0.88) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 958