Spare Me From "Perfect Pitch"!

[Patrick Greene]

People with "perfect pitch" tend to make me nervous.  I never know if what I
am doing will meet their expectations, so I spend extra time making it sound
perfect.  The pianos I get to tune have usually not been tuned in years and
then these folks expect the piano to sound perfect after one tuning.  They
usually do sound perfect...for about 30 minutes (the time it takes for me to
drive away)
----- Original Message -----
From: David Ilvedson, RPT <ilvey@jps.net>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 4:28 PM
Subject: Re: Spare Me From "Perfect Pitch"!


> Pat,
>
> If on the rare moment this happens I usually ask the PP person to tell me
> when it is in tune to their ears.  I then adjust the pitch with the octave
> above or whatever they want as a reference.  They soon hear the problem.
> Don't forget to explain they have great pitch memory but it ain't
perfect...
>
> David I.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Patrick C. Poulson <ppoulson@jps.net>
> To: piano tech <pianotech@ptg.org>
> Date: Friday, December 08, 2000 1:41 PM
> Subject: Spare Me From "Perfect Pitch"!
>
>
> > I went back to check out a Wurlitzer spinet at a  school that I tuned
> >yesterday, the one that the music teacher said had gone totally flat in
the
> >bottom octave.  Nothing wrong. In fact, a few of the notes had gone a
> little
> >sharp!  The teacher played a few notes and said " Can't your hear that
> these
> >bottom notes are a 1/2 step flat?" Well, actually they sounded fine to
me,
> >but I got my Accutuner out and doublechecked them.  They were right where
> >they needed to be.  The music teacher claims to have perfect pitch.  I
have
> >had experience with some people with "perfect pitch", and it seems that
> >sometimes their ear focuses on a harmonic that is out of tune with the
rest
> >of the harmonics from a string, and there's nothing I can do to change
> short
> >of replacing the piano.  The music teacher was busy rehearsing her choir
by
> >the time I finished, so I called in the prinicipal who is also a piano
> >player, fortunately, and explained the situation .  She seemed to
> understand
> >, and actually apologized for the music teacher's attitude and
abruptness,
> >saying that the teacher is under a lot of pressure to get her Christmas
> >program together and also has been sick.  I was just glad that there was
> >nothing structurally wrong with the piano, or that somehow my ears had
gone
> >totally off - admittedly, the cold I'm getting over has clogged my
> Eustacian
> >tubes up a bit, but I don't think my hearing has been affected.
> >    Anybody else had a similiar experience? Thanks, Patrick Poulson, RPT
> >
>