Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!aplcen!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!rutgers!uwvax!umn-d-ub!umn-cs!nis!quad!dts
From: dts@quad.uucp (David T. Sandberg)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Re: What is perfect pitch?
Message-ID: <368@quad.uucp>
Date: 2 Dec 89 07:58:52 GMT
References: <1989Nov27.212927.3253@agate.berkeley.edu> <7051@portia.Stanford.EDU> <357@quad.uucp> <74@motto.UUCP> <2698@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca>
Reply-To: dts@quad.uucp (David T. Sandberg)
Organization: Quadric Systems, Richfield MN
Lines: 37

In article <74@motto.UUCP> dave@motto.UUCP (David Brown) writes:
:if I'm having trouble identifying a note, or finding a pitch, I imagine
:it played on a piano (I play piano myself).  That seems to help.
:
:My brother plays trumpet.  He has about the same degree of pitch sense
:as I do.  I asked him about it once, and it seems that he also finds it
:easier if the note is being played on a trumpet...

Interesting.  My main instrument is guitar, so I just imagined an
E on guitar and then checked with my synthesizer.  I was within a
half step.  Maybe there's something to this idea.  However, it's
going to be difficult for me to practice and attempt to confirm this,
since once I've tried and checked one pitch, then I instantly and
instinctively identify all subsequent pitches by relation to the
preceding pitches.  I have to stay away from music for a long time
to clear it out of my head enough to avoid using it as a reference.
Heck, I just went over to the keyboard again, and it's still there,
darn it...  ;')   Same with this song I was listening to about an
hour ago.  I just put it on again, and I had mentally strayed from
the key only about a half step.  Damned if I know what key it is,
but it's still stuck in my head...

Previously, I have usually been able to identify a note within a
couple of half steps at least, but that's only because I know the
lowest/highest notes I can sing.  I just sang them and compared.
Worked in a pinch.  ;')

In article <2698@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca> king@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca (Stephen King) writes:
:I recently saw a magazine advertisement which claimed that perfect pitch
:could be learned. I would like to improve my sense of pitch, yet am
:skeptical of advertising claims and would like to find out if anyone has had
:success with do-it-yourself pitch training before I part with my $85. 

My two cents: I wouldn't if I were you.

-- 
David Sandberg             dts@quad.uucp or ..uunet!rosevax!sialis!quad!dts


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