Wives tales ... violin tuning

[Fenton Murray]

The last thing I would claim is perfect pitch, the fact is I can't carry a tune in a bag. But, after a life time of aural tuning I often play the A on a piano and know exactly whether it is dead on, or a beat or 2 sharp or flat, before I strike my fork. Sometime I got it, and sometimes I don't, but, I am often I am dead on. Funny thing, sometimes I can tell when I walk in the room, before I even play the piano, don't ask me how. The window will be open, and I'll think, this piano is 2 beats flat. It just happens too often, I gotta get this tune by phone thing going again.
Fenton
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: A E 
  To: Pianotech List 
  Sent: Monday, June 30, 2008 6:03 AM
  Subject: RE: Wives tales ... violin tuning


  I messed around with my friends before who are tied down in musical field, they randomly pressed keys on my piano and 9 out of10 i got it spot on... a few years ago i had a friend (may he rest in peace) who could tell  u exactly how sharp of flat the note was, and get it withing 1-2 cents....
  there is such a thing i think.... it comes with experience, and knowing ur instrument... or in my case probably sheeer dumb luck...! 
  U cant speak for everyone in this world Matt, u dont know what people can and can not do..
  as for human perfection... well in that case, perfection is in the eyes of the beholder, and no one else matteres...
   
  Alicia




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    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2008 05:57:58 -0700
    From: toddpianoworks at att.net
    Subject: Re: Wives tales ... violin tuning
    To: pianotech at ptg.org


    There is no such thing as PERFECT pitch, only relative pitch.  It someone had perfect pitch, it would mean it would have to be perfect, and besides Jesus Christ, I have yet to see a human that was perfect.  If indeed this customer had perfect pitch, they could be able to tell you that the note was four cents flat.  But because she said the note sounded like a "d", it is relative.

    Matthew

    Richard Brekne <ricb at pianostemmer.no> wrote:
      Yes... a good sense of relative pitch memory is an interesting thing 
      indeed. Its just that it would be best for all concerned if it were kept 
      better in perspective... i.e. words like Perfect and Absolute left out 
      of it. Severely extreme cases of pitch sensitivity are more a handicap 
      then an asset. Fortunately... there are very very few on this planet 
      that actually suffer to that degree....and correspondingly few that 
      could with any hint of justification fnyss at someone else for erring 
      <> pitchwise.

      Cheers
      RicB


      I had a customer a few days ago, whose piano I tuned 2 years ago. 
      She played some notes and said how flat they were...the piano in
      general sounded reasonable. I got started and the piano was indeed
      about 4 cents flat and 7 in the treble. When done I asked her if
      she had perfect pitch...wasn't sure. I played a D and she said that
      sounded like a D...pretty cool...

      David Ilvedson, RPT
      Pacifica, CA 94044






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