The Admin Guide section I referenced explains how you could modify the numeric values on any tone setting, to vary the audio frequency, duration and cadence of the sounds. It's up to you to be your own "musical composer" and change it as you wish.
The default values are derived from the Bellcore standards (Bellcore was the spinoff of AT&T [Bell System] research labs). The assortment of values is because one of the features from that era of deregulated, extra-cost add-on services was "Distinctive Ring" DR was/is a service offered by telcos, whereby the customer can have multiple direct-inbound-dial (DID) phone numbers that all ring the one, same phone line. To tell them apart, the first number rings as usual, and each additional number has a "distinctive", or different, ring pattern, like ring-ring-pause for the second number. The same goes for the call-waiting tones.
By default, when you have, for example, SP1 configured for DID 1234567890, and SP2 configured for DID 2345678901, and both are configured to ring the Phone 1 port, an inbound call to SP2 will ring with the chosen DR cadence, so you know which line is being called. The same principle apples to call-waiting.
You're right about one thing: <almost> nobody would care to change that setting.
In all the years I've been on this forum, you are the first person to propose doing so, AFAIK.