Only harmonics below the fifth to seventh are individually resolved in timbre perception

Evidence

A psychoacoustic description of timbre perception must be based on the nature of the critical bandwidth variation with frequency, since this describes the nature of the spectral analysis carried out by the hearing system. The variation in critical bandwidth is such that it becomes wider with increasing frequency, and the general conclusion was drawn in the section on pitch perception in Chapter 3 (Section 3.2) that no harmonic above about the fifth to seventh is resolved no matter the value of f0. Harmonics below the fifth to seventh are therefore resolved separately by the hearing system (e.g., see Figure 3.11), which suggests that these harmonics might play a distinct and individual role in timbre perception. Harmonics above the fifth or seventh, on the other hand, which are not separately isolated by the hearing system, are not likely to have such a strong individual effect on timbre perception, but could affect it as groups that lie within a particular critical band. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1473

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to Chapter 3’s critical bandwidth discussion in this same book, and to any earlier notes on the ear’s spectral resolution limits. — connects to: Instrument timbre differences stem from harmonic spectra that shape masking breadth — Professor Dr.-Ing. Hugo Fastl, Professor Dr.-Ing. Eberhard, Psychoacoustics- Facts and Models, 449; Only the first five to seven harmonics are resolved regardless of fundamental; Timbre perception arises from basilar membrane vibration patterns, not pitch alone (+9 more)
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1473

Related

• Only harmonics below the fifth to seventh are resolved individually by hearing (similarity 0.96)
• Only the first five to seven harmonics are resolved regardless of fundamental (similarity 0.94)
• Timbre reduces to a weighted ratio of fundamental and resolved versus unresolved harmonics (similarity 0.94)
• Only the first five to seven harmonics are resolved by the ear’s place mechanism (similarity 0.92)
• Harmonics resolve only while their spacing exceeds the ear’s ERB (similarity 0.91)
• Timbre perception arises from basilar membrane vibration patterns, not pitch alone (similarity 0.90)
• Bright timbres stem from strong energy in harmonics above the seventh (similarity 0.86)
• Instrument timbre differences stem from harmonic spectra that shape masking breadth (similarity 0.85)
• Consonance perception depends on harmonics up to about the seventh (similarity 0.85)
• Only low-numbered harmonics are resolved, higher ones blur together in the internal representation (similarity 0.83)
• Each instrument’s timbre is defined by its unique recipe of harmonic partials (similarity 0.82)
• Helmholtz’s 1877 timbre rules anticipated modern psychoacoustic understanding (similarity 0.82)
• Critical bands govern tonal discrimination and timbre, not overall hearing resolution (similarity 0.81)
• Note onsets have staggered harmonic entry times that define each instrument’s timbre (similarity 0.81)
• The critical band concept is the key to understanding perceived pitch, loudness, and timbre (similarity 0.81)

Broader Connections

• Bright timbres stem from strong energy in harmonics above the seventh #complicates (0.85) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 1475
• Dark or dull timbres lack energy in harmonics above the seventh #complicates (0.85)
• Only harmonics separated by more than the ear’s critical bandwidth are resolved #qualifies (0.80)