Inharmonicity

Generally, inharmonic overtones lack a clear sense of pitch (difficult to hum).

The perception of pitch

• may vary with individuals;
• tends to be clearer when notes are played in succession (particularly with inharmonic tones).

Listen to:

• bellsclip.wav: bell in isolation--pitch?
• bells.wav: bells in melodic context--pitch?

The context allows us to focus on the change in notes rather than on any one note itself.