Hi Mac,
nice bit of info there, thank you.

Got me to thinking though, I wonder if, and maybe how much, those perceptions related to the temperaments in use? E.G. Meantone, well-tempered, equal temperament...

On another tack, as a 'bone player I'm well aware that different parts of the range of my instrument have timbre changes inherent in the way they respond to the different partials. So if you pick a key that keeps you basically in the middle octave then you would have one set of sounds, move up so you have some notes entering a higher register and things change, ditto lowering...

The closer to the fundamental the more overtones are present and the richer the sound. The higher up the range the less overtones and the "purer" the sound. I know other wind instruments have a similar behaviour.

Mac, you might be able to advise here: a piano might also have a similar effect happening? What about when the lower notes cause ringing on the undamped upper strings?
How about differences between using "stretch" tuning and equal(?) tuning?

Also on stringed instruments, as you shorten the string there are less overtones apparent which again results in timbre changes...

Don't you love this simple obsession we all have - and how complicated it gets when you try to analyse elements? laugh

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