Key color

David M. Porritt dporritt@post.cis.smu.edu
Wed, 15 Dec 1999 10:08:48 -0600


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I have finally arrived at the age where I can admit there are things that=
 exist that I can't understand or give a scientific explanation.  Key color=
 is one of them.  I hear a difference in keys even in flawless ET and I=
 know lots of other people who hear color.  I can't explain it, but I don't=
 pooh pooh everything I can't explain.  While HTs have MORE key color (and=
 somewhat different key color) ET does too.  I know some will claim that it=
 is just not ET or the dreaded RW, but.....

Another, related item, is the effect of keys on pitch stability.  In=
 college, I belonged to a choir that was called an a Cappella choir.  While=
 we did use accompaniment for some music, most was a Cappella.  Certain=
 keys would always lead us out of tune quickly and in others we stayed=
 amazingly in tune.  F and G seemed quite unstable, but if we started in F#=
 the pitch would hold very well.  B-flat was probably the worst, but=
 singing the same song in B would stay in tune well.  Temperament had no=
 effect, because we got our starting pitch from a single note (always the=
 tonic) and sometimes from a pitch-pipe.  I don't know what caused it.  I=
 have no scientific explanation for it.  I just observed it for 4 years in=
 choir.  

Key color, pitch stability, pitch recognition (a name I like much more than=
 "perfect" pitch) are all things I can't explain, but then there are lots=
 of things that I observe in this world that I can't explain or understand.=
  Isn't that part of what makes life fun?

dave


David M. Porritt
dporritt@swbell.net
Meadows School of the Arts
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX 75275


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