Perfect Pitch Ad

[1958Bassman]

My brother and I have really good relative pitch and both of us can produce or identify specific notes, but it's not actually perfect pitch because it was learned. The odd thing- he was adopted so it's not hereditary, but we always heard music from the time we were infants. He was adopted before he turned 1 year old and we always heard a wide variety of music. We had music classes in grade school and when we got into band, neither of us were good at naming the notes. I had been playing guitar but in band, I played trombone and nobody told me how to ID the notes on bass clef. He made 2nd chair and I was 1st chair after a few months.

Our mom could sing very well, with good intonation but when she whistled, she was always sharp and it drove both of us crazy. Same thing happens when I hear Emmylou Harris- I can't listen to her and I like her music. I have a big problem when I hear music that's off pitch and instruments that aren't tunes properly. It can definitely be a PITA.

 

[1958Bassman]

First of all, THANKS to everyone. I love your stories, your input, etc.


I know the difference between perfect pitch and relative pitch. I should have been more clear. But I am asking because I am wondering if this program would grant relative pitch. Still pretty useful if it works, right?

Good relative pitch makes learning and playing music easier because the intervals become more obvious. I know people who couldn't sing or identify a minor third, fifth, or any other interval, no matter how much time they were given and some of them play. These people, like my mom, can read and play but not by ear. I had an uncle who originally played drums and when he was in his teens/early 20s, he was in a band with Woody Herman before he went on tour. He later played accordion and organ, by ear. After he retired, he moved up North and most of the supper clubs had an organ, but nobody to play it. He began playing at one club and while he played, people would ask if he knew various songs- he would say "Hum a few bars" and they'd laugh but he told them he was serious. Once they did that, he could play just about any song he had heard before and it wasn't just a basic melody- it was melody, chords, foot pedals, etc.

Can you hear a musical phrase and memorize most of it? I don't mean a whole song, just a phrase. The biggest benefit is when you can identify the correct pitch to tune a guitar or bass without a tuner. Then, it's easier to find the notes on the neck and play them without hunting. You'll know how to play a run because you'll know the sound of the intervals and playing something on the fly becomes much easier, even wider intervals like 9ths, 11ths, 13ths, etc.

 

[Hammertime3]

I wonder if handicapped people, especially blind ones that are musically inclined, have higher indicents of perfect pitch than people who are otherwise physically OK. I only know three people in my small musical world that have perfect pitch, and two of them are blind. One is a female singer...I've heard her shout out to the band "Get in "C" boys", start singing and when the band picks it up they are right there with her. The other is a country multi-instrumentalist who tunes everyone's instruments wherever he goes. He says it't kind of a pain sometimes because he's the only one in a jam who can tell when someone's out of tune....he winds up being the critic. Strangely enough, the third is just a regular good ole boy who plays in the country band with the blind fellow just described. How many times do you find two out four players in a country band with perfect pitch.

I'll betcha that if more blind musicians were tested..i.e. Ronnie Milsap, Stevie Wonder, the late Ray Charles, etc.., we might be surprised on what they could relate about perfect pitch.

 

[INTP]

I had an ex who had perfect pitch, her choir teacher figured it out when she was young. I didn't believe it so I had her tune a guitar and check it, she was on, I was amazed. It is a pretty neat skill. Apparently it is more common in regions where people use a tonal dialect like Viet Namese.

I remember hearing a study about pitch and tonal languages. One of the interesting things that they found is that people who spoke languages with tonal distinctions were much more aware of absolute pitch. They would have people read a phrase and record it. Then they would have the same people read the phrase again days or weeks later. They were MUCH more likely to match the pitch of the original phrase than were people who spoke non tonal languages.

 

[Flabass]

Perfect pitch is a slider at 85 mph.

 

[INTP]

...
You can vastly improve your relative pitch by transcribing bass lines or melodies and solos (either writing them out or playing them on the bass or another instrument like piano) without spending anything but your time...

Agreed. I am far from a 'natural' at this, but I find that by transcribing parts that I hear, or even jamming with others, the skill improves. With increasing frequency, the notes--particularly the intervals--start to jump into my mind (or fingers) without all the fumbling around. I cannot comment on the particular course being discussed, but I can say that this is a skill that one can develop on their own.