Alexandre Galembo
47 Furstadtskaia St., #17, 191123 St. Petersburg, Russia
Timbre and pitch are different properties of sound according to the ASA definition, but they are closely connected in the sounds from musical instruments. An interesting property is the ``pitchness'' (or ``pitch strength'') which refers to the distinctiveness of pitch in the sound. This property was investigated for piano notes, in particular in the bass and treble. In these ranges, the degree of pitchness is an important factor in determining instrument quality. Pitch extraction methods were used to calculate a noise factor in the treble, and an inharmonicity factor in the bass. New methods for judging the sound quality in the treble, and for measuring and evaluating inharmonicity of bass strings are proposed. [Work supported by ``Red October'' piano factory, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Swedish Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.]