Removing the fundamental frequency does not change perceived pitch.

Evidence

This theory came under close scrutiny when it became possible to carry out experiments in which sounds could be synthesized with known spectra. Schouten (1940) demonstrated that the pitch of a pulse wave remained the same when the fundamental component was removed, thus demonstrat­ ing: (i) that f0 did not have to be present for pitch perception, and (ii) that the lowest component present is not the basis for pitch perception because the pitch does not jump up by one octave (since the second harmonic is now the lowest component after f0 has been removed). This experiment has become known as “the phenomenon of the missing fundamental,” and sug­ gests that Method 1 cannot account for human pitch perception. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 859

This theory came under close scrutiny when it became possible to carry out experiments in which sounds could be synthesized with known spectra. Schouten (1940) demonstrated that the pitch of a pulse wave remained the same when the fundamental component was removed, thus demonstrating (i) that f0 did not have to be present for pitch perception and (ii) that the lowest component present is not the basis for pitch perception because the pitch does not jump up by one octave (since the second harmonic is now the lowest component after f0 has been removed). This experiment has become known as “the phenomenon of the missing fundamental” and suggests that Method 1 cannot account for human pitch perception. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 841

Categorization

• CANDY: Great elevator fact: take away the lowest note of a sound and the pitch doesn’t change — surprising and lay-friendly.
• SHARE: A musician or audio engineer friend would enjoy this — a known but striking illusion in pitch hearing.
• XREF: Connects to the broader place vs. temporal theories of pitch that this chapter is developing, and to the reader’s larger project of interpreting life through psychoacoustics.
• DEFINE: Defines the phenomenon of the missing fundamental, a cornerstone psychoacoustic concept.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 859; David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 841