Relative dominance of individual partials in determining the pitch of complex tones

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Abstract
These experiments were conducted to determine the dominance of each partial in determining the residue pitch of a complex tone. Subjects were required to make pitch matches to a complex tone which had one partial slightly mistuned from its correct harmonic value. The shift in residue pitch was measured as a function of the frequency shift of the harmonic, for each harmonic in turn. For mistunnings up to .+-. 2%-3% the shift in residue pitch was approximately a linear function of the shift in the harmonic, but for greater mistunings the shift in residue pitch was reduced. The degree to which a given harmonic can influence residue pitch gives a measure of the dominance of that harmonic. The dominant harmonics were always contained within the lowest 6 harmonics (for fundamental frequencies of 100, 200 and 400 Hz), but there were marked individual differences in the exact distribution of dominance across harmonics. The level of a harmonic relative to adjacent harmonics can have a significant effect on its dominance. The implications of the results for theories of pitch perception are discussed.

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