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From: mwg@bellcore.UUCP (Mark Garrett)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: tone deafness?
Message-ID: <199@bellcore.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 18-Nov-86 09:40:22 EST
Article-I.D.: bellcore.199
Posted: Tue Nov 18 09:40:22 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 18-Nov-86 21:36:53 EST
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++
> 1. Human ear can identify the ratio 1.0006. This is my estimate, comments
>    welcome.
> 2. The distance between two closest tones in western musical system
>    (12 notes per octave) is 1.06.
> 3. The octave has ratio of 2.
> 
> An individual with absolute pitch can identify interval of 1.06.
> 
> zdenek

I think it must be higher precision than that.  I've heard that
people with perfect pitch can notice the fact that some orchestras
(Boston Symphony?) tune to A = 444 Hz, instead of 440 Hz to get
a brighter tone.  They perceive the music as being somehow off-key.
This gives a resolution of at least 1.009.

-Mark Garrett