Subject: Re: The climb of absolute pitch From: Martin Braun <nombraun@xxxxxxxx> Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2012 12:51:03 +0100 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>Dear Bob and others, > Can someone explain the supposed mechanism behind neural > timing and pitch shift? There is no evidence for such a mechanism. > As I undestand it, since pitch is encoded as > *place* along the BM, "*place* along the BM" "encodes" spectral content of the sound, not pitch. The coding for pitch is synthesized from these signals in the auditory midbrain. > The firing rate does not encode the frequency of > the sound itself. Up to certain frequency values it does encode both the frequency of spectral components and the frequency of the fundamental of harmonic complex sound. The pitch shift that has been discussed in this threads has nothing to do with any of this. It has been proposed that its cause lies in the biochemical alteration of the speed of the intracellular neural reference oscillators in the pitch extracting areas in the central nuclei of the inferior colliculi. Martin ------------------------------------------- Martin Braun Neuroscience of Music S-66492 Värmskog Sweden email: nombraun@xxxxxxxx web site: http://www.neuroscience-of-music.se/index.htm ----- Original Message ----- From: "Bob Masta" <audio@xxxxxxxx> To: <AUDITORY@xxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, December 02, 2012 2:47 PM Subject: Re: The climb of absolute pitch > Can someone explain the supposed mechanism behind neural > timing and pitch shift? I don't understand what is being > proposed. As I undestand it, since pitch is encoded as > *place* along the BM, the neurons respond with a firing > rate that encodes *loudness* for their particular frequency > place. The firing rate does not encode the frequency of > the sound itself. > > What am I missing here? > > Best regards, > > Bob Masta