"perfect pitch"

[Billbrpt@AOL.COM]

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In a message dated 11/4/01 5:37:19 AM Central Standard Time, 
dnereson@dimensional.com (Dave Nereson) writes:


> I also have what people call "perfect pitch".  It's the biggest misnomer
> in the world of music.  Nobody has perfect pitch.  

Thanks so much for writing this, Dave.  A lot of things were brought up in 
the recent temperament discussion, including what may be meant by "just 
intonation".  If we all go around saying we have "perfect pitch" and always 
play and think in "just intonation", we only create more confusion and 
misunderstanding.

Let's also consider that through the centuries, the pitch standard was never 
A-440 as it has been since about 1920.  So, Beethoven's *D* that he held in 
his head may have been our *Db* today.  The reason why stringed instruments 
have the notes C-G-D-A-E-B is because of the precedents set by very early 
music.  The simple keys of the keyboard also developed at that time.

By the time Bach composed, the notion of Key Color had been fully developed 
and continues through today.  Whether consciously and knowingly or not, 
people *assign* a particular character to each key of the cycle of 5ths and 
this really dictates the choice of one key signature or another in which to 
write any particular music.

People still do this today and this is why a mild, Victorian type temperament 
apparently works on the modern piano for music of any era.  The premise 
behind the use of ET is that only it can serve all kinds of music because of 
its neutrality.  It is my belief that ET goes further than it needs to in 
this regard because it erases all distinctions found in cycle of 5ths based 
tempering.

There are certain types of writing which lend themselves to the simple keys, 
certain that lend themselves to the remote and others in between.  One 
contributor noted that Beethoven's 9th symphony modulates to Gb at one point. 
 While being familiar with the piece and also having performed it both as a 
string player and vocalist, I don't have a score handy to look at.

But, I can assure anyone and everyone that when a piece such as this 
modulates to such a remote key, as far remote from the original key as 
possible, the writing will be distinctly different and more intense from that 
of the rest of the piece.  This would be correctly and appropriately 
reflected by the piano tuned in a cycle of 5ths based temperament.  

I have witnessed such agreements in written music consistently from the 17th 
through the end of the 20th Centuries.  For study and rehearsal purposes, the 
piano (or any other keyboard) is and always has been used.  This, I believe 
has influenced virtually every form of composition.  So, do instrumentalists 
play differently in the remote keys?

There probably would be a greater use of vibrato by instrumentalists in the 
remote keys which completely negates any and all ideas about so-called 
Perfect Pitch or Just Intonation.  Pitch during intense and/or wide vibrato 
is on the order of +/- 20 cents.  This is analogous to the very rapid beating 
of 3rds & 6ths found in the remote keys of any Cycle of 5ths based 
temperament.

There has been a good amount of discussion about "Perfect Pitch" on this List 
in the past.  Anyone interested should search the archives.  There were 
people who claimed that some individuals have an extraordinarily accurate 
sense of pitch.  Still, I believe this is due to practice, not a magical 
gift.  I also believe that there is *no one* who is absolutely *perfect* in 
this regard and that is why I avoid using the term altogether.

Musicians who play in tune and are skilled with their instruments are rare 
and special people.  So are people who compose music rather than only 
interpret it.  How these abilities are developed may be beyond the scope of 
this list and any of our conception and understanding.  Really, being myself 
a life long musician, I'd just describe the whole choice of key, pitch and 
use of vibrato issues as the ability to *listen* and to create art without 
really needing to have a scientific explanation for any of it.

Bill Bremmer RPT
Madison, Wisconsin

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