Clarifications of some terms. (Ranjit Randhawa )

Subject: Clarifications of some terms.
From:    Ranjit Randhawa  <rsran@xxxxxxxx>
Date:    Thu, 7 Feb 2008 12:12:38 -0500
List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>

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