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The Effect of Octave and Timbre Combinations on Undergraduate Band Members' Perception of Pitch

Steinbrunner, Clinton M
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0214-6110
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1565784490042422

Abstract Details

2019, Master of Arts, Case Western Reserve University, Music Education.
The purpose of this research was to measure the effects of instrument timbre and octave combinations on the accuracy of undergraduate wind band members’ perception of pitch, as well as these variables’ effect on the perceived difficulty of the same task. Participants (N = 92) from three college bands identified 24 pitch pairs as in-tune or out-of-tune. These pairs consisted of an in-tune stimulus pitch presented in single or combined octaves (clarinet, tuba, clarinet and tuba, clarinet and bass clarinet) followed by an experimental pitch (trombone) with deviations of 0, ±10, or ±15 cents. Participants also responded to the perceived ease and difficulty of assessing pitch related to these combinations. Results indicated that single octave stimulus pitches produced the most accurate responses and were perceived as the easiest condition to hear differences in pitch. Among combined octave stimuli, the dissimilar timbre pairing produced the most accurate results. Further results showed increased accuracy for sharp pitches over flat, and the tuba stimulus over the clarinet stimulus, indicating a possible effect of instrument tone quality on pitch perception in the study.
Nathan Kruse, PhD (Advisor)
Kathleen Horvath, PhD (Committee Member)
Ryan Scherber, PhD (Committee Member)
98 p.
Music Education
Music Education, Pitch, Perception, Octave Displacement, Timbre, Band, Undergraduate, Tuning

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Steinbrunner, C. M. (2019). The Effect of Octave and Timbre Combinations on Undergraduate Band Members' Perception of Pitch [Master's thesis, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1565784490042422

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Steinbrunner, Clinton. The Effect of Octave and Timbre Combinations on Undergraduate Band Members' Perception of Pitch. 2019. Case Western Reserve University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1565784490042422.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Steinbrunner, Clinton. "The Effect of Octave and Timbre Combinations on Undergraduate Band Members' Perception of Pitch." Master's thesis, Case Western Reserve University, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1565784490042422

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1565784490042422
420
© 2019, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.