perfect pitch and relevant pitch

JoeVice

JoeVice

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Jul 6, 2003
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a little discussion about it started towards the end of the music and vision thread...but that has died down...and this is a completey different subject...i think it is interesting as hell. i guess what i am trying find out is, does anyone on this board have perfect pitch?
 
I've heard that perfect pitch is nearly impossible to have, because you'll never be able to tell if something is in perfect pitch or not to the cent (or whatever the smallest value for pitch is). Within a few cents (or, again, whatever the smallest value is), probably, but not perfect.
 
I doubt it. Not saying that in a mean way, but isn't PERFECT pitch basically impossible to obtain, or have? Relative pitch though, probably.
 
Nope, don't have perfect pitch. Am friends with someone who's pretty close to it though. She's a classically trained singer, so she can pretty much nail any note you tell her to without a refference point.
 
i think i'm tone deaf :lol:

i hear notes, they all sound similar for the most part. there's low, mid, high... i can figure them out by trial with a few attempts, not much of an issue as a musician but i don't pretend i can sing.
 
NicholasDWolfwood said:
I've heard that perfect pitch is nearly impossible to have, because you'll never be able to tell if something is in perfect pitch or not to the cent (or whatever the smallest value for pitch is). Within a few cents (or, again, whatever the smallest value is), probably, but not perfect.
Click to expand...

well, as far as tones go...most instruments aren't perfect anyway. the human voice for example has several different frequencies combining to make "one" tone. and actually, i have read stories about conductors who have perfect pitch tuning every instrument in an orchestra by hand because they have such a keen ear and don't have faith in the musicians to tune it pefectly...and when the instruments aren't tuned pefectly, it drives them insane!

perfect pitch is the ability to (as moonlapse said) identify a note without a reference pitch...much like you can look at the color green, and know that it is green instantly. i have good relative pitch...if someone played me an E, i could easily hum an A. but, i don't have the concept of the tone of E engrained in my head...actually, i do about 80% of the time...because i play guitar so much, and listen to a lot of metal and other guitar oriented music...but, that is different...its like, i have a running track of what that note is based on music being a huge part of my life...i can't just sit here and think of an A on its own...to do that, i think of a familiar song that i listened to recently...like the moor...which is in E, i think of that songs tonic, then i think of what an A is in relation to that note.
 
yah, i have a friend who has perfect pitch...but doesn't play an instrument...but any time i need to tune my guitar, i have him hum the beginning of any song. he is always dead on.
 
i don't think there is one definition of perfect pitch. in my opinion being able to name a pitch without any reference (no other notes) is perfect pitch. no, i don't have it, though i know people who do.
 
my theory professor in college has perfect pitch. You could bring in any piece of music at all and in one listen she'd have all the chords named. She could name any note you played on the piano. it was pretty amazing.

I don't have perfect pitch and its something you can't really obtain on your own/without it being genetic. Relative pitch however is very useful and through a lot of ear training I think anyone should be able to achieve it.
 
i personally think that relative pitch is the most important of the two...it is the understanding of the musical language...its a completely different thought process than perfect pitch....and, i'm sure that most people with pefect pitch have relative pitch too.
 
I don't have perfect pitch, but I can mostly sing close to an E then work things out from there. I do have relative pitch, not always 100% but good enough. I am also classicaly trained with Piano and Trumpet so that helps a lot I guess.

I find if I hum myself The Moor I am always am in the right key, not claiming to be perfect but pretty darn close. I think the availabilty of guitar tuners has damage people's pitch abilities. I have friends who can shred a guitar but can't tune it. I think it is important being able to use ones ear.
 
indeed they do... once your relative pitch is good enough. you don't need perfect pitch... it allows you to do the same shit at the end. I,e. learn any song in 5 minutes, sing things in ur head an be able to transfer them accuratly onto your instrument.
 
NickFBM said:
I think the availabilty of guitar tuners has damage people's pitch abilities. I have friends who can shred a guitar but can't tune it. I think it is important being able to use ones ear.
Click to expand...

i totally agree. i also think that it is better to figure out a song by ear, rather than use tabs.
 
With just 12 tones you would think it would be easy to learn the
color/pitch of each. Chevy Chase has perfect pitch and he was more or less born with it. There is a course you can order that guarantees your gaining perfect pitch or your money back.
http://www.perfectpitch.com/
 
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