Virgil's naturaL beats

[Yardarm103669107@AOL.COM]

Richard:
I suspect that ETD's aren't the tool to measure or see what might be going 
on. A spectrum analysis of some sort might be the way. If there are indeed 
groupings of predominant (formant) partials being compared in the two notes 
of the octave, it would be necessary to see the entire spectrum of each 
partial set to see the match up of the selected groupings. Again, I think 
much depends on voicing. If the piano is voiced unevenly, i.e. partial sets 
being randomly dispersed through the compass of the instrument, then even 
this won't work. 

If one assumes, correctly, that all partials sound simultaneously (a still 
amazing phenomenon), then spectral analysis should show the formant grouping; 
how well one can blend one set to the other in an octave, i.e. how well one 
can make these two or three or perhaps four partials in the formant set of 
one note sound "beatless" with the other set of the other note is a 
psychoacoustic phenomenon of even more amazement. I still do not like the use 
of the word "beat" here. I still believe that it is a category mistake, that 
there is other language which would make the whole conceptual underpinning of 
Virgil's argument (sic) more palatable and open to a different kind of 
understanding. 

Thoughts?

Paul Revenko-Jones