Reply to James Carlsen (at)

Subject: Reply to James Carlsen
From:    at <REPP%ROD%YALEVMS.BITNETVM1.MCGILL.CA>
Date:    Thu, 28 Oct 1993 11:01:46 -0400

Dear Jim:

        The tritone paradox is a problem of interest to experimental
psychologists; I don't see why it should have any relevance to music
theory. I suppose even its relevance to music perception is much more
limited than Diana Deutsch thinks. However, it may be related to the
phenomenon of absolute pitch, which has fascinated (and continues to
interest) a great number of psychologists, even though its importance
for music perception and performance is not overwhelming. Deutsch's
results of a (presumably) individually stable "pitch class effect"
suggest that most individuals have some absolute pitch reference in
their heads, even if they cannot name it. This seems a very interesting
finding to me, though my own data cast some doubt on the claim by
suggesting that the pitch class effect is not so stable, after all.
This will have to be sorted out in future research.

        --Bruno