Experiments on the Musical-Interval Sense
Andrew G. Pikler · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 1966
Mersenne (1636), Huygens (1661), Mercator (1667?), Sauveur (1701), and Chladni (1802) estimated by introspection the ear's tolerance for mistuned musical intervals in terms of comma fractions. Delezenne (1826), using a monochord and methods of adjustment and forced choice, was the first to study the ear's accuracy on the unison, octave, natural third, fifth, and sixth, expressing the error in terms of comma fractions. Other, isolated investigations were made by Weber (1829; monochord), Scheibler (1834; forks), Seebeck (1846; monochord and fork), and Cornu and Mercadier (1869; organ pipe and the autograph). Preyer (1876) employed a specially designed reed harmonium, a method of forced choice, and an index of sensitivity. Schischmanov (1889) used forks with Wundt's method of minimal changes. Stumpf and Meyer (1898) used adjustable screw forks and Fechner's technique of forced choice. Seashore, Jenner, and Miles (1905–1914) studied vocally produced intervals with the tonoscope. Sokolovsky (1911) used motion pictures of these sung tones. Moran and Pratt (1926) used a tone-variator, 12 intervals, and the method of adjustment. Psychoacousticians in the electronic age have largely negelected the psychophysics of the interval sense. Data have been reported by Greene (1937), Bolt (1947), Nickerson (1949),Ward (1954), Corso (1954), and Lichte (1955). Pikler (1960) mapped the interval sense over the five central octaves (61 tones), using the method of adjustment, oscillators, and a Stroboconn. The equal temperament of 12 tones was reproduced with standard errors ranging from 1.2 to 38.7 cent. Intra- and inter-octave analysis did not show significant differences. Sample data taken on the major third confirmed that the syntonic comma is supraliminal, whereas enharmonic differentiation proved only better than chance. Pikler and Harris (1961) employed forced-choice and tape-recorded mistuned octaves.