Spare Me From "Perfect Pitch"!

[Kristinn Leifsson]

Tuners of the world unite.


The vast majority are playing head games, or think they hear something 
better.
I´m talking strictly about tuning now, not voicing bugs.
Having perfect pitch only does so much.
My former teacher, Don Mitchell, has a little keyboard that is 
tunable.  Whenever he get´s a "PP" student he asks them to tune the 
keyboard without all outside references.  Without exception it turns out 
like... a road-kill.

So even if PP´s can sense that "this is A", or whatever, they have no way 
of knowing difference in "teensy terms".
"A" can be a lot.  Humans didn´t evolve to the point of recognizing certain 
pitch as being right from another.  That´s ridiculous.  It´s just good 
tonal memory
What about PP´s of the 17th century.  How would they have liked the tuning 
that a PP of today approved of?  They would have screamed, not being used 
to it, that´s all.

So, what I´m trying to say, is that PP´s (in my opinion) may well have a 
very good tonal memory.
I have an O.K. tonal memory. I can normally tell if a piano is flat, 
without using a fork, and recognize an F sharp very often because I 
listened too much to the Black Key Etude for a while.
But what we´re doing is way out of PP´s league.  You can tell them I said so.

I have a Finnish friend that can pick out numerous notes in a discordant 
chord right on the spot.
I think he could kick very many PP´s gluteally if it came to that.
He is afflicted with PP, but he say´s he developed it with time, and it´s 
just tonal memory.

He´s an accordionist (one of the best in Europe), so I don´t think cares 
about the tuning too much!  <g>

Best regards,

Kristinn

At 11:18 9.12.2000 -0500, you wrote:
>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
> > >
> >