Psychoacoustic Study of Simple-Tone Dyads: Frequency Ratio and Pitch

This study investigates how listeners perceive consonance and dissonance in dyads composed of simple (sine) tones, focusing on the effects of frequency ratio (R) and mean frequency (F). Seventy adult participants—categorized by musical training, gender, and age group—rated randomly ordered dyads using binary preference responses (“like” or “dislike”). Dyads represented standard Western intervals but were constructed with sine tones rather than musical notes, preserving interval ratios while varying absolute pitch. Statistical analyses reveal a consistent decrease in preference with increasing mean frequency, regardless of interval class or participant group. Octaves, fifths, fourths, and sixths showed a nearly linear decline in preference with increasing F. Major seconds were among the least preferred. Musicians rated octaves and certain consonant intervals more positively than non-musicians, while gender and age groups exhibited different sensitivity to high frequencies. The findings suggest that both interval structure and pitch range shape the perception of consonance in simple-tone dyads, with possible psychoacoustic explanations involving frequency sensitivity and auditory fatigue at higher frequencies.