Clarifications of some terms.

[Ranjit Randhawa <rsran@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear List,

With all the heavier topics under discussion in this forum, my request 
for information could be a bit trivial, but am hoping for your indulgence.

I have read about "consonance" and dissonance" and have assumed a kind 
of understanding of these, but then I have also read about "ringing" and 
"harshness", and have been wondering whether there is a relationship 
between these terms and how one would describe this difference.

My own assumption has been that the auditory system performs its 
frequency analysis in its own unique way, and a clearer understanding of 
these terms may show that it is not based on our present analytical 
models. If one is trying to develop a different model, than the test 
stimuli used for auditory psychological experiments could also be 
drastically different than those usually described. Therefore, a better 
understanding of the above terms would be helpful.

Thanks in anticipation, cheers,
Randy Randhawa