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From: bgw@genrad.com (Bruce G. Wilhelm)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Perfect Pitch
Message-ID: <41109@genrad.UUCP>
Date: 9 Apr 91 19:02:06 GMT
Sender: news@genrad.UUCP
Lines: 49


	I used "rn" for the first time in my life today and I can't believe
all of the talk about Perfect Pitch.  I don't feel so alone anymore.  I am
mostly a keyboardist and have had very acute PP since I can remember.  My
father has PP as well, but my musically-inclined sister does not.  I was
surprised to hear the story about one guy whose father's PP has slipped flat
because my dad's has too!

	When I was a boy chorister, I had severe problems transposing a hymn
in real time, more extremely when I was singing Alto than Soprano.  I hate
seeing one note and having to sing another.

	I could never play a tranposing instrument (clarinet, trumpet, F-horn,
sax, ...) that had to play one note and sound another.  That would drive me
crazy!

	One of my old dorm-mates used to have a tape deck that would play a
half-tone high.  It was so painful for me to listen to familiar songs, I often
requested he turn it off.  It is often better for me to listen to something
a half-tone off rather than a quarter-tone, though, because I get confused as
where to round each note to.  I translate every note in every piece of music I
hear to its absolute pitch, so when things are a half-tone off, at least they
translate to a pitch with a familiar name (Ex: C#) even though it's the wrong
one.

	My walkman at work also plays slightly fast.  I have to listen to the
radio a lot so the batteries can wear down enough that I can listen to a tape
at "correct" speed.  I found this out because I didn't believe that Deep Purple
really played all of their songs in F and Bb minors.  Even so, as I listen, I
have developed fingerings in my head to all bass lines and keyboards a
half-step up for every note on the album.  Heaven help me when I buy the CD.

	I had a lot of problems reading Alto clef when I took up viola.  I'm 
not sure if that is related to PP.

	One way I can test my PP sometimes is with my DX7.  I have somebody
adjust the tuning on the instrument while I'm not looking.  Then I use the
arrow keys with my eyes closed to see how close I can come to 0.

	My ex-aunt claimed she developed PP by memorizing the lowest note in
her vocal range and translating from there.  She passed my test.

	My old violin teacher could not name a piano-struck key if his life
depended on it, but he could tune the orchestra day in and day out by singing
a perfect A out of the clear blue.

	It's nice to be able to get some of these things off my chest.  Nobody
ever understands what it's like.  However, I wouldn't trade my PP in for
anything.