Euclid anticipated Helmholtz’s definition of consonance and dissonance

Evidence

In 1940, Schouten observed that Helmholtz’s version of the place model could not account for the pitch of a complex sound when the harmonic associated with the fundamental frequency was removed (Schouten, 1940). Schouten dubbed this phenomenon the residue pitch, also sometimes called the pitch of the missing fundamental. One hypothesis explaining the residue pitch was related to Helmholtz’s theory: The residue pitch occurred because distortion in the cochlea yielded a traveling wave representation at the location corresponding to the fundamental frequency. However, in 1954, Licklider demonstrated that a residue pitch still was perceivable even when a low-frequency noise was added that would have masked any representation of that component (Licklider, 1954). This put the nail in the coffin on the distortion hypothesis and confirmed that Helmholtz’s theory of pitch perception was incomplete and insufficient. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1286 (#responds-to, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The residue pitch refuted Helmholtz’s place theory of pitch percept. — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1286; Blowing across a bottle mouth produces a Helmholtz resonance

Related

• Correct theories of pitch perception were suppressed by Helmholtz’s authority (similarity 0.83)
• The residue pitch refuted Helmholtz’s place theory of pitch percept. (similarity 0.82)
• Missing fundamental pitch survives even when cochlear distortion is masked out (similarity 0.81)
• Place theory cannot account for level-independent pitch, so other mechanisms must operate (similarity 0.81)
• Helmholtz’s place theory says pitch derives from the basilar membrane’s location of maximum excitation. (similarity 0.81)
• Helmholtz’s place theory failed to explain all pitch phenomena, prompting more complex models. (similarity 0.81)
• Residue pitch is computed in the auditory cortex within a tenth of a second (similarity 0.81)
• Helmholtz never clearly separated perceived pitch from the presence of a matching physical partial (similarity 0.80)
• Helmholtz wrongly assumed every heard pitch requires a physically present partial (similarity 0.80)
• Helmholtz’s nonlinear-interaction theory of missing fundamentals is untenable (similarity 0.80)
• Missing-fundamental pitch does not involve hearing an actual sinusoidal partial (similarity 0.79)
• Blowing across a bottle mouth produces a Helmholtz resonance (similarity 0.78)
• A vocal tract constriction at the mouth forms a Helmholtz resonator (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Blowing across a bottle mouth produces a Helmholtz resonance #exemplifies (0.80)
• The residue pitch refuted Helmholtz’s place theory of pitch percept. #responds-to (0.75) — Jennifer Lentz, Psychoacoustics- Perception of Normal…, 1286