Fuzzy tuning systems: the mathematics of musicians (Q1770713)

The paper describes some classical tuning systems for musical pitch, such as Pythagorean, just, or equal temperament, in well-known terms of fundamental frequencies, as defined by a selection of powers \( 2^p\) of the octave ratio \(2\). In order to account for the fuzziness of musicians' pitch perception, the precise mathematical pitch concept is replaced by fuzzy pitch in the sense of triangular kernel functions (defining fuzzy membership) centered around mathematical pitch. By use of Zadeh's index of consistency, \(\alpha\)-compatibility of fuzzy notes with respect to a tolerance \(0\leq \alpha\leq 1\) is introduced and applied to define and investigate \(\alpha\)-compatibility of tuning systems by fuzzy notes. Using continued fractions, it is shown that fuzzy tuning systems generated by a single frequency ratio \(\lambda\) are compatible with equal temperament fuzzy tunings generated by a fraction \(p/q\) if the generator and the fraction are near enough to each other. This approach is a quantitative version of W. Meyer-Eppler's classical valence theory (metamerism). Since compatibility is not an equivalence relation, the concept of compatibility classes of fuzzy pitches fails and cannot substiute the classical mathematical description of pitch needed for music theory.