Perfect Pitch

[Brian Holden]

Yes Graeme, I think that that is what most people really mean when they say
they have perfect pitch - being able to tell when one note is out with
another.  Thanks,  Brian

-----Original Message-----
From: Graeme Harvey <gharvey@netsource.co.nz>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Tuesday, 14 December 1999 21:36
Subject: Re: Perfect Pitch


>Hello Brian and Mark,
>
>I went to high school with a guy who was able to correctly identify notes
as
>you describe Mark, he later went on to become a piano tuner, very good one
I
>might add, can set an A *very* close and checks himself against a fork
every
>now and then, but he has real difficulty tuning pianos to other pitches. I
>was always fascinated by this as I too tune pianos but don't as me to
>identify a note, my pitch memory isn't good but neither does it need to be.
>To me pitch memory is of no real advantage, but to a musician as you
suggest
>Mark, it is is a useful gift.
>Brian, perhaps the people you speak of who claim to have perfect pitch are
>simply able to hear a note out "in relation to another note" ie an octave.
>Most musicians can here this to various degrees and piano tuners to an
>exacting degree, hopefully.
>
>Cheers
>Graeme Harvey
>New Plymouth NZ
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: <bases-loaded@juno.com>
>To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
>Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 1999 1:07 PM
>Subject: Re: Perfect Pitch
>
>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, 14 Dec 1999 07:17:58 +1300 "Brian Holden" <bholden@wave.co.nz>
>> writes:
>> > Many people over the years have claimed to me that they have perfect
>> > pitch. When I ask them to be more specific on this, they start to
>> > cool off.  One person when asked what note I was playing on the
>> > piano went cold on the idea altogether.  To me, having perfect pitch
>> > means being able to detect or aurally produce a note within a maybe
>> > a few beats, but no one has demonstrated to me that they can get
>> > that close.  I would imagine that singers would be pretty accurate,
>> > but not perfect.  Any comments?
>> >
>> > Brian Holden
>>
>> Brian -
>>
>> I think the problem comes mostly from the nomenclature.  The word
>> "perfect" doesn't leave any wiggle room, eh?  I personally know several
>> musicians with perfect pitch, and by that I mean they can easily tell you
>> any note you are playing - a million times in a row with no mistakes.
>> They can also sing any note for you on command.  It will never be
>> "perfect", I presume, but so what?  The musicians I know who have this
>> gift are either singers or violinists, with one exception - and he's a
>> drummer.  He can hear a 4-5 note chord and tell you all of the pitches
>> immediately.  This is an extremely useful gift, in my opinion!
>>
>> However, it would be of no use whatsoever in tuning a piano....
>>
>> Mark Potter
>> bases-loaded@juno.com
>>
>