Tuning experiment
Is 432 Hz different? Try it not with a claim but with your own ears, blind and measurably. The result is something you learn, not the superiority of a frequency.
What is measured?
- Your pitch threshold: from how many cents do you hear the difference between two sounds?
- Side-by-side discrimination: can you tell 432 and 440 apart in an ABX test?
- Identification: hearing the sound on its own, can you tell which tuning it is?
- Preference: listening blind, do you prefer one; do you also hear a difference in identical pairs?
The criterion is stated in advance: at least 12 correct out of 16 trials. The chance of getting that many right by luck is under 5%. The result is shown only at the end.
The test's power is limited: someone who is truly right 70% of the time passes the 16-trial test only about half the time. Not meeting the criterion does not mean you did not hear the difference.
Headphones are recommended (not required). Do not change the volume during the experiment. During the experiment the screen never shows which tuning is playing; the mapping is revealed at the end.
Sound
A harmonic melody: the sound that stays longest in pitch memory (recommended).
Preparing the sound…
Pitch threshold
Pick the odd one out of three tones; the difference shrinks and grows to suit you (pure tone, about 3-5 minutes).
Side-by-side discrimination (ABX)
A and B are the two tunings; choose which one X is. 16 trials.
Identification without a reference
Hear the sound on its own and say which tuning it is. 20 trials; chance is 50%.
Blind preference
10 pairs; say which one you prefer. Some pairs are identical.