This is for all us here who hear so much around here!

Seriously, just passing along something I found interesting on the net yesterday. Here is the link:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/10/treasure.sound/

Look on the list at number 3 - isn't that interesting? However, he does not mention that we can also hear quarter tones/half tones/sub tones (not sure what you call it) coming off piano strings when you hit keys in a certain way. But also look at number 4 on the list. Very interesting! Funny, the part about different listening position causing arguments.

Hi Monica, this is a great find on sound. Thanks for sharing it. Musical perception of intervals is mostly based on our ability to hear notes as in the degrees of a scale.

I don't think we can generate quarter or even eight tones on a modern piano even if you hit a key a certain way, unless the piano has manuals. What may be happening is when you hit a key a certain way, perhaps the attack point on the hammer on the string(s) can change, causing a slight change in the timbre by changing harmonic content of the note. But, I don't think we can change pitch by a quarter tone. Unless the bridge on your piano is double-jointed?

No. 4 is classic! Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus type of observation.

Ok...you know how half of the time I don't know what I'm talking about? Well, I guess this is one of those times.

I think what I meant to say before is that we can hear overtones, not quarter or half tones. I'm still not quite sure if I'm explaining this right, but you know when you strike a key, you can hear not only the octave above it, but also the harmonic notes too. Like if you hit a low C, you can hear E, G, and the octave up C too - they ring out longer than the other notes. And supposedly, we hear all these overtones without realizing it. It's a characteristic that makes an acoustic grand superior to digital pianos. I don't even know if digital pianos generate overtones....I'm guessing they don't, which is why they always sound too 'clear' to me. (does that make sense?)

I do know that I cannot listen to organ music for very long because the 'overtones' (or half-tones, quarter-tones...whatever) make me nervous and sort of agitated to the point that I start to squirm a little.