Subject: Re: How good is inter-aural frequency or pitch matching in normal humans? From: Pulkki Ville <ville.pulkki@xxxxxxxx> Date: Tue, 30 Jun 2015 09:53:59 +0000 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>--_000_D1B83ACA174BFVillePulkkiaaltofi_ Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hi, I have an anecdote, which might be interesting to you. After I got my Msc in engineering physics, I went to sibelius academy to st= udy music. I got a flu, and after it I had weird symptoms in my hearing rel= ated to pitch. With tone generator and monotic listening I noticed that th= e sick ear produced about semitone different pitch perception than the heal= thy ear. Playing piano or singing was really a torture then, I perceived so= und very distorted, and heard additional tones when playing chords. I thoug= ht that the sickness caused my basilar membrane to be a bit thicker, produc= ing these artifacts. This vanished in a week or so. I dont know if it vanis= hed because of the inner ear got healthy, or if my brains got used to this = situation. Now, after about 20 years, I listened to few sinusoids around 1k monoticall= y, and I have to say that my left ear produced somewhat different timbre, a= nd perhaps also pitch. Left ear produces a bit brighter timbre, there is an= audible distortion component in right ear. -Ville Dear List, I have had a conversation with a musically keen retired physicist who assur= ed me that when he holds up a tuning fork to one ear he hears the pitch of = the tuning fork about a semitone lower than at the other ear. I had to say = that I found that surprising. We always assume that there has to be a good = alignment of frequency channels going into the binaural centers of the brai= nstem for example, and much effort is invested in trying to improve "inter-= aural pitch matching" for cochlear implant patients. But I have to admit I = know of no formal studies that have actually measured how good inter-aural = pitch matching would be for normally hearing subjects, and whether a differ= ence of a semitone (after all, only a few % in absolute terms) is absurdly = large or within the expected human variability. Would any of you know of an= y papers that have looked at this? Best, Jan -- Prof Jan Schnupp University of Oxford Dept. of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics Sherrington Building - Parks Road Oxford OX1 3PT - UK +44-1865-282012 http://jan.schnupp.net<http://jan.schnupp.net/> --_000_D1B83ACA174BFVillePulkkiaaltofi_ Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-ID: <4FACF9B7E6C3FE44BAD5B907CB5D173E@xxxxxxxx> Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html> <head> <meta http-equiv=3D"Content-Type" content=3D"text/html; charset=3Dus-ascii"= > </head> <body style=3D"word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-lin= e-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-fami= ly: Calibri, sans-serif;"> <div><br> </div> <div>Hi, </div> <div><br> </div> <div>I have an anecdote, which might be interesting to you. </div> <div><br> </div> <div>After I got my Msc in engineering physics, I went to sibelius academy = to study music. I got a flu, and after it I had weird symptoms in my hearin= g related to pitch. With tone generator and monotic listening I notic= ed that the sick ear produced about semitone different pitch perception than the healthy ear. Playing piano or singing = was really a torture then, I perceived sound very distorted, and heard addi= tional tones when playing chords. I thought that the sickness caused my bas= ilar membrane to be a bit thicker, producing these artifacts. This vanished in a week or so. I dont know if i= t vanished because of the inner ear got healthy, or if my brains got used t= o this situation. </div> <div><br> </div> <div>Now, after about 20 years, I listened to few sinusoids around 1k monot= ically, and I have to say that my left ear produced somewhat different timb= re, and perhaps also pitch. Left ear produces a bit brighter timbre, there = is an audible distortion component in right ear. </div> <div><br> </div> <div>-Ville</div> <div><br> </div> <span id=3D"OLK_SRC_BODY_SECTION"> <blockquote id=3D"MAC_OUTLOOK_ATTRIBUTION_BLOCKQUOTE" style=3D"BORDER-LEFT:= #b5c4df 5 solid; PADDING:0 0 0 5; MARGIN:0 0 0 5;"> <div xmlns:v=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-micro= soft-com:office:office" xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" x= mlns:m=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns=3D"http:/= /www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <div lang=3D"EN-GB" link=3D"blue" vlink=3D"purple"> <div class=3D"WordSection1"> <div> <div style=3D"border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm = 0cm 0cm"> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><br> </p> </div> </div> <div> <div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Dear List,<o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">I have had a conversation with a musically keen reti= red physicist who assured me that when he holds up a tuning fork to one ear= he hears the pitch of the tuning fork about a semitone lower than at the o= ther ear. I had to say that I found that surprising. We always assume that there has to be a good alignment of= frequency channels going into the binaural centers of the brainstem for ex= ample, and much effort is invested in trying to improve "inter-aural p= itch matching" for cochlear implant patients. But I have to admit I know of no formal studies that have actually measure= d how good inter-aural pitch matching would be for normally hearing subject= s, and whether a difference of a semitone (after all, only a few % in absol= ute terms) is absurdly large or within the expected human variability. Would any of you know of any papers= that have looked at this?<o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Best,<o:p></o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Jan <br clear=3D"all"> <o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">-- <o:p></o:p></p> <div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal">Prof Jan Schnupp<br> University of Oxford<br> Dept. of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics<br> Sherrington Building - Parks Road<br> Oxford OX1 3PT - UK<br> +44-1865-282012<br> <a href=3D"http://jan.schnupp.net/" target=3D"_blank">http://jan.schnupp.ne= t</a><o:p></o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p class=3D"MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </blockquote> </span><style><!-- /* Font Definitions */ @xxxxxxxx {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} @xxxxxxxx {font-family:Tahoma; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0cm; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; text-decoration:underline;} span.EmailStyle17 {mso-style-type:personal-reply; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:#1F497D;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; font-size:10.0pt;} @xxxxxxxx WordSection1 {size:612.0pt 792.0pt; margin:72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt 72.0pt;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} --></style> </body> </html> --_000_D1B83ACA174BFVillePulkkiaaltofi_--