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From: suhre@trwrba.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.music.classical
Subject: Absolute/Perfect Pitch
Message-ID: <747@trwrba.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-May-84 14:51:05 EDT
Article-I.D.: trwrba.747
Posted: Wed May 16 14:51:05 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 18-May-84 00:56:21 EDT
Organization: TRW EDS, Redondo Beach, CA
Lines: 29

I started piano lessons when I was five.  At some time later I realized
that I could tell which note was which just by hearing it.  This ability
is usually called "perfect pitch".  My perfect pitch was very accurate,
probably better then a quarter tone in accuracy (at least in a one
octave range above and below middle C), not quite so good at the
extreme ends of the keyboard.

When I began to play in the high school band, the accuracy suffered.
I blame it on the band being flat (at least in my perception).  I
still was pretty good, and if I listened to a piece for a while, I
could "lock in" on the key signature with essentially perfect accuracy.
Given that and the chords, I was locked in on the individual notes.

I am 48 now, and my perfect pitch has gotten less accurate through
the years.  I am still good to a half tone or so now.  It doesn't
bother me particularly, but I wonder why this ability has deteriorated.
Perhaps now I am more interested in the emotional content of the music
rather than the mechanical aspects.  Also, my piano tuner says that
my piano is slightly flat (I estimate A=434).  He could pull it up,
but said that it had "settled in" at that pitch and that it would
hold that pitch better and since I don't play with instrumentalists
I might as well as leave it at that pitch.  (I note that I have cleverly
sneaked in a reference.  I should have been straight up and said
that I bought a 6 foot Yamaha grand in 1972 and haven't regretted it
*one second*.)

Maurice

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