THE PITCH OF A MISTUNED HARMONIC - EVIDENCE FOR A TEMPLATE MODEL

A harmonic of a periodic complex tone can be heard out as a separate e ntity if the harmonic is slightly mistuned from its correct frequency. Pitch matching experiments show that the pitch of such a mistuned har monic differs systematically from its frequency. The shift in pitch is found to be an exaggeration of the frequency mistuning. This article considers two classes of model for the pitch shift. In the first class are tonotopically local interaction models which attribute the pitch shift to interactions between the mistuned harmonic and neighboring ha rmonics, where the neighborhood is established by peripheral filtering . The second class of model attributes the pitch shift to a contrast b etween the mistuned harmonic and a broadband harmonic template. This a rticle describes six pitch matching experiments using complex tones ha ving spectral gaps, strategically chosen to compare local interaction and template models. The results show that when a competition is set u p between local interactions and a template, the template proves to be dominant. A parallel between the pitch shifts of mistuned harmonics a nd periodicity pitch, also attributed to a harmonic template, is seen as the frequency range of the mistuned harmonic is changed. Tonotopica lly local influences are evident in several experiments, but they are of secondary importance. (C) 1998 Acoustical Society of America.