tags: mus-407 sound sound-perception pitch
Pitch
Pitch is the subjective human response to [frequency].
- characteristic by which tones are ordered from low to high
Perception
It is culturally related to frequency, but
- frequency is quantifiable and observable - number of cycles per second
- pitch is simply our subjective perception of frequency
- pitch can be ambiguous
- the same frequencies can be different between different backgrounds and even situational contexts
We might "hear" some infrasonic frequencies, but we do not perceive their pitch
- instead, we perceive a regular rhythmic pattern
- phenomenon of [psychoacoustics]
Description
In Western notation, pitch is often notated within the [twelve equal temperament system].
- each individual pitch falls within one of 12 [pitch classes] and some octave
- also commonly used with [MIDI], equating certain key number values to pitch