Talk:Pitch (music)

Pitch and noise are not antonyms

The lede contains this sentence: "Pitch can be determined only in sounds that have a frequency that is clear and stable enough to distinguish from noise." Perhaps this is quoted from the referenced source, but "noise" is a problematic term: music often incorporates unpitched percussion, for example, which isn't really noise. The page noise defines it as unwanted sounds, like weeds in a garden, which is a value judgment more than a perceptual phenomenon. —Wahoofive (talk) 23:27, 22 December 2019 (UTC)

How about this: "Pitch can be determined only in sounds that have a frequency that is clear and stable enough to distinguish from unwanted noise." Is that better? ➧datumizer  ☎  06:18, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

It has nothing to do with "unwanted". Noise is a recognised technical term for non-periodic signals. It fits perfectly with unpitched percussion, which is certainly not unwanted. −Woodstone (talk) 07:38, 4 March 2021 (UTC)

That whole sentence is nonsense (though it's cobbled, roughly, from a reliable source that's equally nonsensical). What does it mean for a sound to "have a frequency that is clear and stable..."? We're not talking about sinusoids here. Dicklyon (talk) 04:59, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

While it may be closer to "physics for poets" than some might prefer, it is far from nonsense. "Clear" can be construed as closer to the "tuning fork" end of a spectrum whose other end is "sack of dented pots and pans rolling down a steep hill."

"Stable" can be taken to mean "holding still long enough for a pitch to be identifiable," say, longer than several dozen milliseconds. Just plain Bill (talk) 17:11, 14 October 2021 (UTC)

History

I was hoping to find out when it became possible to associate a frequency with a pitch. The idea that sound is vibrations of air has been around for a very long time, but when did it become possible to associate an actual number of cycles per second to a pitch? BruceThomson (talk) 03:41, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

According to Beyer 1999 it was Marin Mersenne (1588–1648). Dicklyon (talk) 04:56, 8 October 2021 (UTC)

About

pitch is a perpetual property of sound That allows their ording on an a frequency-related scale 102.89.34.202 (talk) 18:09, 22 October 2023 (UTC)

Pitch is not the same as frequency?

Rather than pitch being a synonym to frequency, it is instead a perceptual phenomenon? And each "pitch" (i.e. each perception of a sound) has an assosciated frequency? I am so vastly confused. How am I supposed to understand pitch if it's not objective? Qsimanelix (talk) 19:15, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

It's a real problem, isn't it? Some other people have been troubled by such discrepancies throughout history. Remsense诉 19:35, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

I'm trying to learn the basics of music right now, and this is not helpful. I need an explanation of music, for newbies like me. Qsimanelix (talk) 19:45, 17 March 2024 (UTC)

The article is not as good as it could be, but this is a real distinction that is important to make. I am not sure how it should be best presented, but remember that articles are meant for a general audience and not tailored how-to guides. I don't think we have an Introduction to music theory article, sadly. Remsense诉 19:50, 17 March 2024 (UTC)