Interval dissonance increases with position higher in the harmonic series

Evidence

The roughness phenomenon is, on the other hand, much more easily obtained when two notes are played at the same time. If the fundamental frequencies are different, the distances of their harmonics on the frequency scale define the roughness. If some of the harmonics are located at distances relative to each other that create roughness, a dissonant sound is perceived, as shown for three intervals in Figure 11.13. When the frequency ratio is near 3:2, as shown in the uppermost case in the figure, most of the partials of the spectra are either located very near to each other or far enough away from each other to cause no roughness. Only partials with number 10 or higher are at frequencies influencing each other. When the frequency ratio is about 5:4, a larger number of partials are seen to have such a ratio with each other that higher roughness is perceived. — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1294

The contribution to dissonance depends on where the musical interval occurs between adjacent harmonics in the natural harmonic series. The higher up the series it occurs, the greater the dissonant contribution made by harmonics of the two notes concerned. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 982

Categorization

• DEFINE: Explains the mechanism by which harmonic-partial interference, not simply the fundamental ratio, produces perceived dissonance — the perceptual basis for why 3:2 is consonant but 5:4 less so.
• corroborated: 4 independent passages support this claim — Ville Pulkki, Matti Karjalainen, Communication Acoustics- An…, 1294; David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 982
• XREF: connects to: Dissonance depends on musical interval, not a fixed beat rate across frequencies; Dissonance arises from inconsistent stretch of notes versus partials; Simple integer frequency ratios minimize partial interference and thus dissonance (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• Chord dissonance rises as harmonic number increases and interval shrinks #corroborates (0.95) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 998
• Musical intervals between adjacent harmonics shrink as harmonic number rises #expands (0.90)
• The same musical interval’s dissonance changes with pitch register #complicates (0.80)