Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!clyde!uunet!mcsun!ukc!reading!cf-cm!andrew
From: andrew@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Andrew Jones)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Re: What is perfect pitch?
Message-ID: <1125@cf-cm.UUCP>
Date: 4 Dec 89 15:34:16 GMT
References: <18807@kuhub.cc.ukans.edu> <365@bbxsda.UUCP> <1989Nov27.212927.3253@agate.berkeley.edu> <7051@portia.Stanford.EDU> <357@quad.uucp> <25742AAA.56CC@rpi.edu>
Reply-To: andrew@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk (Andrew Jones)
Organization: University of Wales College of Cardiff, Cardiff, WALES, UK.
Lines: 40

In article <25742AAA.56CC@rpi.edu> mketch@pawl.rpi.edu (Michael D. Ketchen) writes:
>Actually, perfect pitch can be a hindrance ...

Well, I've somehow acquired perfect pitch. I have found it a problem when
asked to play a piano that's been tuned a semitone or two flat. Until I
was about 17 I couldn't play such a piano at all, but I suddenly found I was
able to temporarily suspend my "perfect" pitch!! It returns as soon as I
stop playing. Such pianos normally sound horrible, of course, because
they were generally detuned because they were in such a bad state that
the tuner was afraid to bring them up to tune properly.

I really don't know how this affects my perception of music - when
I'm listening to music I normally don't consciously think of its key,
but more of the characteristics those without perfect pitch would be
able to perceive equally well. I am always _aware_ of what key it's in,
of course. However, I certainly find discussions of temperament interesting
because most people seem to find the intonation of a professional violinist,
say, much more acceptable than what can be obtained from a piano. When I
listen to recordings of violinists, I am rarely satisfied with their
intonation. Could it be that I have an "equal-tempered" perfect pitch?
Actually, I think that the truth is more likely to be that players of
such instruments tend to err, regardless of what temperament we're talking
about. It really is very difficult to play in tune. I speak as an ex-oboist
who used to irritate himself enormously with his playing!

I must say, that I don't regard perfect pitch, or lack thereof, as any
measure of musicianship. As for how to learn pitch, I haven't got any
suggestions at all. My experience was that it "just happened", and Daddy
discovered it when I was about 5 years old.

Incidentally, perfect pitch is useful if you don't have a rev. counter
in your car!

Andrew Jones
University of Wales College of Cardiff
Department of Computing Mathematics
Mathematics Institute
Senghennydd Road
Cardiff CF2 4AG
UK