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From: barrett@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Dan Barrett)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.next,comp.music,rec.music.synth,comp.multimedia,comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Pitch and Colour
Message-ID: <7952@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU>
Date: 10 Apr 91 20:08:27 GMT
References: <u>> <1991Apr10.031342.27656@dgbt.doc.ca>
Followup-To: comp.sys.next
Distribution: comp
Organization: The Johns Hopkins University - HCF
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In article <1991Apr10.031342.27656@dgbt.doc.ca> ted@dgbt.doc.ca (Ted Grusec) writes:
>I doubt if Monet, or anyone could do it.
[That is, have "perfect color" the way some people have "perfect pitch".]

	I know of one person who does indeed (it is claimed) have "perfect
color".  But this is hearsay; I have not seen it demonstrated itself.  But
I have no reason to disbelieve it exists.

>If you present a given colour, rigidly specified by wavelength, in one
>colour context (e.g. surrounded by a light shade of gray), and the identical
>wavelength in a different colour context (e.g. surrounded by a dark shade of
>gray), the two "identical" colours look quite different, even if the colours
>surrounded by these contexts are presented for simultaneous viewing,
>'side-by-side.

	Similar tricks can be played with sound.  Read on.

>By contrast, a person with perfect pitch will identify the pitch of
>a given note no matter what very different chords that pitched note is
>presented in.

	No, the ear can EASILY be fooled.  When several pitches are played
at exactly the same time, the ear perceives them as a single sound.  It
might sound like a single pitch, or even be pitchless.  I refer you to the
work of Stephen McAdams in this area.  Or just listen to a pipe organ.

	BTW, I have perfect pitch.

                                                        Dan

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