Abstract
Some theories posit that the perception of consonance is based on neural periodicity detection, which is dependent on accurate phase locking of auditory nerve fibers to features of the stimulus waveform. In the current study, 15 listeners were asked to rate the pleasantness of complex tone dyads (2 note chords) forming various harmonic intervals and bandpass filtered in a high-frequency region (all components >5.8 kHz), where phase locking to the rapid stimulus fine structure is thought to be severely degraded or absent. The two notes were presented to opposite ears. Consonant intervals (minor third and perfect fifth) received higher ratings than dissonant intervals (minor second and tritone). The results could not be explained in terms of phase locking to the slower waveform envelope because the preference for consonant intervals was higher when the stimuli were harmonic, compared to a condition in which they were made inharmonic by shifting their component frequencies by a constant offset, so as to preserve their envelope periodicity. Overall the results indicate that, if phase locking is indeed absent at frequencies greater than ∼5 kHz, neural periodicity detection is not necessary for the perception of consonance.
Highlights
In Western music certain harmonic intervals, such as the perfect fifth and the perfect fourth, are regarded as consonant, and are described as producing a pleasant and stable sound sensation; other harmonic intervals, such as the minor second and the tritone, are regarded as dissonant, and are described as producing an unpleasant and tense sound sensation
We found that two consonant intervals were rated higher than two dissonant intervals even when they were presented in a high-frequency region where neural phase locking to individual harmonics is thought to be severely degraded or absent
Given that the envelope repetition rates for our stimuli were higher than the highest rates at which the ability to perceive pitch on the basis of purely envelope rate cues has been observed (Burns and Viemeister, 1976; Macherey and Carlyon, 2014), it was a priori unlikely that the perception of consonance for our stimuli could be mediated by such cues
Summary
In Western music certain harmonic intervals, such as the perfect fifth and the perfect fourth, are regarded as consonant, and are described as producing a pleasant and stable sound sensation; other harmonic intervals, such as the minor second and the tritone, are regarded as dissonant, and are described as producing an unpleasant and tense sound sensation. Gockel and Carlyon (2018) concluded that either harmonic templates at high frequencies have wider tolerances than those at low frequencies, or even though they have comparable tolerances the mechanism that leads to the perceptual segregation of a mistuned component is absent at high frequencies In either case, these results suggest that it cannot be assumed that consonance perception at high frequencies will be present because melodic pitch perception for complex tones is present at these frequencies
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