Perfect Pitch: Pros and Cons - Page 3

Lava_Monster · 03-06-2005, 09:39 PM

Well, JennyH I think you are right. In music you need some imperfections that sound like they fit in perfectly. However, I know i wouldn't want my singers singing a choral a semitone off, but in any other type of music i think it's beautiful to have imperfections.

nosouvenirs · 03-06-2005, 11:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lava_Monster

I have perfect pitch and it really doesn't bother me. I learned to just listen instead of listen if you get what I am saying. I love it. I can sing a tune in my head and write it out without much of a problem. Also I write random songs around random tunes. Like the air condition on the 3rd floor of my school is a little under G but not yet a F#, so I wrote a little please that revolves around that. It's really fun, but it does get annoying at times. For example, at ear training. My teacher will play an A and call it a C. We then have to figure out the song by intervals ect. Well, it really messes me up knowing it's a C not an A, so I have to force myself to focus really hard and get the right interval instead of writing the right note.

Aaagh... what a cruel trick to play! Could be a good exercise in transposition, though, I guess O.o. My ear training prof actually has perfect pitch as well, so I doubt he'd ever do that to us, which I love.

nosouvenirs · 03-06-2005, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smorgdonkey

I think it would be fantastic...you'd always know what key people are playing in, you'd never need a tuner for any instrument...for drum tuning it would be phenomenal!

This reminds me of the time in tenth grade when I was playing timpani that had no note indicators whatsoever, not even off-key ones to look at for reference... I had to use my pitch skills to get the notes tuned, but it was completely fine. Interesting, though, especially since I had to play very softly while the piece was going on to get the pitches right before I actually played :P.

drsquid · 03-09-2005, 05:11 AM

... perfect pitch gradually goes flat over the years... mine has anyway...

... I have to think about it before I sing an A 440... otherwise I'll sing it flat...

---drsquid

Squidquote of the moment follows:

Moral indignation is in most cases 2 percent moral, 48 percent indignation and 50 percent envy.

Lava_Monster · 03-09-2005, 08:40 PM

I can't imagine my perfect pitch being flatten over time. I wouldn't be shocked though, but I work on it so much to keep it in shape. I once heard a story of a guy with such defined pitch that sheet music didn't matter to him anymore, because he was only able to sing the same notes around him. Oh yea he was a vocalist.

phantasmagore · 03-11-2005, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lava_Monster

I once heard a story of a guy with such defined pitch that sheet music didn't matter to him anymore, because he was only able to sing the same notes around him. Oh yea he was a vocalist.

That's not exactly unique. Any good vocalist should be able to do that. Hell, my mother and I both have been able to do so our whole lives, but I don't really think we have perfect pitch, at least not in using an external instrument. Your voice is so natural an element to your body and so easy to control / it being "attached", I guess / that I can't really imagine not being able to do that. I usually just figured anyone who couldn't was just a lousy vocalist!

Seriously, I've never had anyone tell me I have perfect pitch, so I don't know. If being able to tune instruments by ear and recognize when any writen piece of music is played off key or off tune, than I guess I might have it. Dunno.

Lava_Monster · 03-11-2005, 05:03 PM

Well, people shouldn't have to tell you if you have perfect pitch or not. Generally, perfect is defined as the ability to distinguish and identify any given note without any musical or tonal support. If you can do that, then odds are you have perfect pitch.

Chiva · 03-14-2005, 10:32 AM

once, when i was putting on new strings on my guitar, i was able to tune my low e-string to perfection by ear. does this means i have perfect pitch?????+

Lava_Monster · 03-14-2005, 04:23 PM

If you can do that with all your strings and other instruments then yes, it does mean you have perfect pitch. However, it most likely means you have a devolping relative pitch. Usually happens when you play an instrument for x amount of years. You get use to how it should sound and form the ability to find the pitch.

Chiva · 03-14-2005, 05:04 PM

i had been playin the guitar for about a year when that happened.