Pitch presence is defined by listener perception, not by acoustic analysis

Evidence

Many sounds have no identifiable pitch. Other sounds may seem to have no pitch, but in fact a melody may emerge from a succession of similar sounds. Sets of wooden blocks have been fabricated going back to the nineteenth century to demonstrate this. If a block is dropped on a hard floor, the sound might be identifiable as containing frequencies in some range, but not possessing a pitch of any specific frequency. This impression might be reinforced by recording and Fourier analyzing the sound—it might show a range of seemingly unrelated frequencies. Yet if a number of similar carefully chosen blocks are dropped in succession, a familiar melody can force itself on the listener. Since melody is based on pitch, there must be a pitch present—at least when it is called to our attention. There is no correct answer to whether a pitch is present in the sound of a wood block, since the human subject is the ultimate authority, by definition. If the pitch was not heard, it was not present. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 2020

Categorization

• DEFINE: Establishes the operational definition of pitch: heard means present, regardless of Fourier analysis.