The Pitchrecognition thread

[Plankis]

So, this night I was doing my ordinary guitarnoodling. Trying out chords, shredding, the usual sloppfest in other words. Then I plucked a nice chord, A/C#. Directly when I heard those notes I remembered a song that I listened to several months ago on youtube. Imogen's Hide and seek. So, my first thought was: let's hunt that song down and listen to it again, I didn't remember the name of the song so it took a while to find it.
When I finally listened to the song that A/C#-chord was the first chord she played! I must have looked something liked this:

Hearing the exact right chord isn't what I usually do. But lately I've found some chords I tend to recognize. D9 is one that I often can name on the spot. (Ty Aeris' theme..) F-major is a another.

Perfect pitch is something that always have amazed me. Naming notes and chords on the spot is a really cool skill imo. So it feels very rewarding when I sometimes manages to get it right.

So, have you had similar experiences? How often? Do you have any chords or notes you can name on the spot?
Do someone even have perfect pitch in here?

Discuss.

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

I have good relative pitch, but not perfect pitch. I'm pretty good with the quality of chord or scale, but I won't know the actual note. Some people who don't have normal perfect pitch can develop really good pitch memory, and essentially have at least one note they can always pick out and reference others too. I know a trobone player who I think remembers Bb, and a bass player who remembers E (important notes on the instrument).

Anyway, yes. Pretty interesting and kind of fun. But I think it's more useful to actually understand how notes work in the context of the music than the name of the note.

 

[mts1979]

I have pretty good pitch...i wouldn't say "perfect" but I can name single notes without a problem. Chords get a little tricky. When I was a kid I took piano lessons, and it took my teacher 5 years to figure out that I had no clue how to read sheet music -- I was learning most of the material by ear, and kind of bullshitting my way through it. It comes in handy i guess.

 

[Zack Uidl]

I can name single notes, chords (i tend to mess up 11th and 13th chords with all notes included, if the 5th and 9th are excluded, it is much easier) and recognize scales/arpeggios that are being used.

The only reason that I can do this is I took 2 brutal years of aural skills classes when I was in college for music. It was ridiculous. It was a very hard class, but.... totally worth it in the long run.

 

[Kazrog]

I took the David Birge Perfect Pitch course years ago (yes, the one with the cheesy ads in Guitar World.) It works. The only thing is, some people have more of a natural aptitude for this to begin with, some people start with a "head start" in other words. There are many degrees of perfect pitch, the course goes into detail about this. I recommend the course if this is at all important to you.

A good relative pitch ear is the most important thing to develop, though.

 

[Notuern]

I didnt do very well in our "gehörslära"-lessons(Basically music theory, but it translates to "Ear Training".), simply because I dont have any real interest in the math behind music.
But one day my teachers jaw dropped to the floor, when i could tell what key, and what kind of chord he was playing through an entire 2 hour lesson.

I was kinda chocked myself, because it would mean that I had absolute pitch.
But it turned out to be that im very good at finding where the pitch is with in a 1 seminote precission, but some days my sence of pitch was better then others(Some times I cant even tune my guitar properly!).

Well, enough bragging from my part, but it was kinda kewl, sence I always was portrayed as the "heavy-metal-kid-that-dont-know-shit-about-music" in our class(And it turned out that I was a natural.). ;D

Great in your face moments I tell you!

 

[jacare]

I can recognize a pitch easily, as arpeggios and stuff. My father and my brothers have the same skill so... I got to thank my father for that hehe

 

[Machinated]

If I need to tune a guitar up by ear, I get the E by thinking of the start of Paranoid by Sabbath

 

[ze kink]

I can remember some notes quite well. A is the easiest, since I used to fool around with my tuning fork when I was younger. I can also remember BEADGBE pretty well, from playing guitar obviously (and that has some downsides). I can transpose from there, but it does not work perfectly; I often miss with a semitone. My relative pitch is much better, I pretty much ruled in interval and chord tests when I still had theory lessons.

I know a guy whose brother has perfect pitch (because he has aspergers syndrome). He could write partitures of music in children's programs when he wasn't even in school yet. And apparently he still does not play an instrument, but composes a lot.

 

[Plankis]

Kazrog: I've tried that course. Got tired of it really quick when I actually had to do something more than just listening to him... Damn I'm lazy.
When did you start to hear those "colors"?

I've been more motivated training the relative pitch though. I can recommend the program Earmaster Pro 5. Very good, nice interface.

Notuern: Yeah, I took those lessons too. I pretty much knew everything they had to teach, but a MVG is always nice though.
Well one day I got a extra assignment to do a song. So I went home and did one. I was very happy with the song and was expecting alot of .
Yeah the week after I went to the class. The headmaster was there and told us that the teacher had died in a heartattack! That was one of the weirder experiences in my life. I was really proud of that song. Murphys law is indeed powerful, and has a good sense of timing aswell.

 

[jangoux]

Well, I dont have perfect pitch, and can't also recognize single notes. Otherwise, my hearing is pretty good, it works for making music and for recording/producing/mixing. At least people tell i have good hearing for things they dont hehehe

I have a client that has perfect pitch (he can sing an E if I ask him to sing and can recognize any chord or note, even the tone of my farts, it is annoying) and i think it works against him. He is too bothered to make things work perfectly and forgets musicality.

 

[STINNETT]

If I need to tune a guitar up by ear, I get the E by thinking of the start of Paranoid by Sabbath

I use the first note of Enter Sandman.

 

[mts1979]

Kink: Whats the connection between perfect pitch and Aspergers?? never heard of that before.

 

[Suicide_As_Alibi]

I have a client that has perfect pitch... and i think it works against him. He is too bothered to make things work perfectly and forgets musicality.

Yeah my old vocal coach had perfect pitch, to within a few cents on some notes - it drove her nuts because so few things are tuned that precisely.

I'm in the annoying situation where my pitch is pretty good, but my music theory is awful - so I can't tell you what note you've hit on a piano, but if I go away for a couple of hours (days, weeks...) and then come back, I can find the note on a guitar and tune it to the same pitch without hearing it again.

Steve

 

[STINNETT]

Kink: Whats the connection between perfect pitch and Aspergers?? never heard of that before.

A lot of people with an autistic spectrum disorder display some sort of savantism.
Ever seen Rainman?

 

[Metal Overload]

If I need to tune a guitar up by ear, I get the E by thinking of the start of Paranoid by Sabbath

Hahaha same here, that or Enter Sandman

 

[mts1979]

Rain Man was awesome. I don't think that guy had perfect pitch, but I see what you mean. The other post just made it sound like Aspbergers and pitch were directly related, unless I misunderstood.

 

[jacare]

My cheap guitars drive me insane when I'm trying to tune them 'cause they never seem to be in the right pitch. To watch a beginner violin player studying... feels like Peter Gabriel's Scratch cover

 

[Fifth_Horseman]

Sometimes I have a song in my head (might be a long time since I heard it), hum along to it, and when I put it on I find out that I hummed it in just the right key.
It's kind of a recent development that my pitch has really gotten better, I noticed some other stuff like that too... like when something isn't played in the original key, I intuitively notice that.

 

[Notuern]

I know a guy whose brother has perfect pitch (because he has aspergers syndrome).

Hartiharhar.
I have Aspergersyndrome as well!
Actually, I love having it too(Even though im not supposed to, I guess.).
I have on paper that im a slacker, and cant help it, and because of my Asperger, I also have an eating dissorder which basically is that I cant eat anything but junkfood.

But the greatest part is that you get such a huge boost in your hobbies.
Ive been playing guitar for about 4 years, and most guitarists in my level seems to have been playing for at least 10 years(Not trying to brag.). :O

But sure there are some down parts, like that I cant learn stuff im not interested in, and sometimes cant do things I want, because im a "slacker". ;X

Damn I like to go off topic these days, but I cant help it, ive got Asperger!