Re: perfect pitch (was RE: hunting for harps)

[Bill Long <LONGWJ@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Date sent:  7-JUL-1995 12:42:33 

>Date: Thu, 06 Jul 1995 12:02:09 -0700 (PDT)
>From: Mike Curtis <wd6ehr@xxxxxxxxxx>
>Subject: RE: perfect pitch (was RE: hunting for harps)

[...]

>I've seen the ads for perfect pitch, and having "natural" perfect pitch,
>would highly recommend sparing no expense to learn it.  We wouldn't want to
>learn oil painting "blindfolded".  Why play music "half deaf" if there's a
>possibility of hearing it accurately?

I take exception to this remark as it implies that not having perfect pitch 
is akin to being colorblind.  Not having perfect pitch is just not that 
sort of impairment.  As a trumpet player I frequently will question the 
conductor about a certain note in my part...and many times I find mistakes 
in the part.  As harp players we have to rely on our ears to know how far 
to bend the note or what harp to play on.  You don't need perfect pitch for 
this...just some ear training.  I challenge you to prove to me that someone 
with perfect pitch actually hears any more music than I do when I listen to 
music...or anybody else for that matter.  I know a lot of people with no 
musical training who still know when something in the music is sour or when 
it sounds great.  If I'm forced to play with say an oboe that can't tune up 
right then I'd rather tune the whole band 30 cents flat so that we can all 
be in tune with the oboe...and not have the hairs on the back of my neck 
standing up when I hear it.  I'd rather save that for the emotional response 
evoked by a well composed piece of music or a virtuoso performance.

I suspect many of the great masters didn't have 20-20 vision.

Bill Long >-- StarGazer --< N2LAG	longwj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
    longwj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx			   (137.142.18.1)