The Impact of Even and Odd Harmonics on the Perceived Harmony of Music Signals

This study explores the impact of odd and even harmonics on the timbral harmony of pure tones and musical tones, evaluating the perceptual attributes of euphony, harmony, and fineness through listening experiments. The results indicate that the auditory harmony of both pure and musical tones is significantly higher under even harmonics compared to odd harmonics. This suggests that, in terms of timbre, even harmonics align more closely with human aesthetic preferences and can produce a more harmonious auditory experience. Furthermore, the experiment provides an in-depth analysis of the performance of Chinese traditional and Western musical instruments under different harmonic conditions. The findings reveal that the perception of harmony in Chinese traditional musical instruments is more stable with respect to higher harmonics than in Western musical instruments