Final answer:
While chords such as C major or E minor are generally consonant, the specific combination of F, F-sharp, and G struck simultaneously would produce a dissonant sound, characterized by beat frequencies of 21 Hz, 22 Hz, and 43 Hz due to the close frequencies interfering with each other.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question concerns understanding the nature of musical chords, specifically whether they are dissonant or consonant. In Western music theory, consonant chords are chords that have a pleasing sound when played together, typically because their frequencies have simple ratios with each other. In contrast, dissonant chords have frequencies that create a harsher, more tense sound due to more complex frequency ratios.
The chords C major, E major, Bb major, G# major, C minor, E minor, Bb minor, and G# minor are all considered to be consonant when played in isolation because they consist of notes that harmonize with each other. However, if we consider an example like what is asked in the question, where three adjacent keys on a piano (F, F-sharp, and G) are struck simultaneously, producing frequencies of 349, 370, and 392 Hz, the result would indeed be dissonant. This dissonance is evidenced by the beat frequencies produced, which occur when two or more notes with close but not identical frequencies are played together, resulting in a pulsing sound as they interfere with each other.
For the specific frequencies given, the beat frequencies would be the absolute differences in frequencies between each pair of notes: F and F-sharp (21 Hz), F-sharp and G (22 Hz), and F and G (43 Hz).