RE: [Harp-L] perfect pitch

["Stephen Jennings" <harpfixer@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On a more serious note :-)

I've always thought that "perfect pitch" must be far more of a curse than a
blessing....
Imagine having ears and a brain that could *always* distinguish pitches -
everything in the world would be out of tune - e.g. "If the idling speed of
your engine is supposed to give Eb, but it's slightly sharp, does that mean
the car needs a tune-up??

Really, we're so used to hearing music that's out of tune, surely that's why
12TET was invented (so that all instruments are equally out of tune) and why
orchestral players have to play themselves into "tune" with the "out of
tune" piano (which has just been tuned)!! 

Hopefully, Pat Missin will have something to say on this, but on the
understanding I've outlined I'm grateful I wasn't cursed with perfect
pitch!!!

FWIW

Stephen Jennings


-----Original Message-----
From: harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx [mailto:harp-l-bounces@xxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
Of Splash!
Sent: 07 December 2011 12:57 AM
To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Harp-L] perfect pitch

When you toss the banjo into the dumpster and it lands directly on the 
accordion.

Badda-Boom!


When life asks you to jump in...
Splash!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Buck Worley" <boogalloo@xxxxxxx>
To: "Robert" <robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>; <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 6:45 PM
Subject: RE: [Harp-L] perfect pitch



Robert-

I thought that perfect pitch is when the banjo player throws his banjo over 
the piano and hits the harp player... :D

Buck


> Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 13:31:10 -0700
> From: robert@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [Harp-L] perfect pitch
>
> HARP PLAYERS
> Don't be troubled by talk of Perfect pitch, and think that you were born
> musically disadvantaged. Instead, choose to cultivate your Relative pitch
> over time and enjoy the heck out of your music.
>
> Perfect pitch and Relative pitch are not mutually exclusive. Relative 
> pitch
> does not necessarily lead to Perfect pitch. Each has its
> musical contributions. Many more of us benefit from Relative pitch in our
> musical journey. (What is the chord change? How far is that next note?)
>
> QUESTION
> If you exhibit Perfect pitch today, but were born in another time and
> place, would you have Perfect pitch? If "yes," then it is acquired as
> a cultural norm. In this sense it is "relative" to the period of music in
> which you acquired it, and not a cosmic absolute.
>
> Perfect pitch, then, is the fine and precise identification of a pitch in
> isolation, without a reference tone.
> Relative pitch is the ability to identify a note as an interval FROM a
> recently heard reference tone.
>
> READING
> Interesting site here: http://www.perfectpitch.com/perfectrelative.htm
> And a better one here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_pitch
> (read about pitch wars, and pitch inflation)
>
> Perfect pitch (absolute pitch) most often references A=440hz today in
> America. But concert pitch has ranged from 409-450 hz. in Europe from
> 1700's.
>
> Robert Hale
> Learn Harmonica by Webcam
> Low Rates, High Success
> http://www.youtube.com/DUKEofWAIL <http://www.youtube.com/user/DUKEofWAIL>
> http://www.dukeofwail.com
       =