Perfect Pitch

I don't know what it is but I remember how surprised I was to hear music I was familiar with played with modern instruments and the same music played with instruments of the century in which it was written. An amazing difference.
A difference that sometimes sets my teeth on edge. I suffer from perfect pitch which for a musician can be a blessing but if exposed to anything like tuneless congregational singing I feel like I’m in Hell. There’s also a form of unresolved key change common in bubblegum pop. For me it's like being hit in the head with a dead, smelly fish. Horrible.
Then there’s classical atonalism ERK! Lemeeoutahere!
 
Well all I know is I've known a lot of musicians in my day and not one of them had perfect pitch. I read that there were some really rare cases in China where a few people actually developed perfect pitch but it's nearly always genetic. Something like 1 in 10,000 people have it.
 
I don't know what it is but I remember how surprised I was to hear music I was familiar with played with modern instruments and the same music played with instruments of the century in which it was written.


An amazing difference.

There is an instrument of the Renaissance of called the sackbut. Once in a great while it pops up in videos or whatnot when I'm teaching---imagine THAT reaction if you dare.

And the hurdy-gurdy lol
 
I don't know what it is but I remember how surprised I was to hear music I was familiar with played with modern instruments and the same music played with instruments of the century in which it was written. An amazing difference.
A difference that sometimes sets my teeth on edge. I suffer from perfect pitch which for a musician can be a blessing but if exposed to anything like tuneless congregational singing I feel like I’m in Hell. There’s also a form of unresolved key change common in bubblegum pop. For me it's like being hit in the head with a dead, smelly fish. Horrible.
Then there’s classical atonalism ERK! Lemeeoutahere!

Here.

We go.

AGAIN

I just can't be responsible for all this musical ignorance. I mean I'm a music educator but COME ON people.....:banghead::lol:
 
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Runs in my family from my father’s side all the way back to Great, Great Grandpa who was choir master & church organist in Wales. Grandpa and Grandma met on the stage when opera singers. My father was also a choir master and sang in amateur opera. All of them as far as I know suffering from perfect pitch. My father was so sensitive he paid to have the family piano tuned every month. If it was out of tune (often happened in summer as it was exposed to sea breezes I suppose) he wouldn’t let me practice on it.
So, as I said, it can be a blessing and a curse.

The Chinese in general have a greater sensitivity to pitch as the actual meaning of words in their language can be altered by how they’re pitched. Possibly one reason we now see so many talented Chinese classical pianists?
 
Runs in my family from my father’s side all the way back to Great, Great Grandpa who was choir master & church organist in Wales. Grandpa and Grandma met on the stage when opera singers. My father was also a choir master and sang in amateur opera. All of them as far as I know suffering from perfect pitch. My father was so sensitive he paid to have the family piano tuned every month. If it was out of tune (often happened in summer as it was exposed to sea breezes I suppose) he wouldn’t let me practice on it.
So, as I said, it can be a blessing and a curse.

The Chinese in general have a greater sensitivity to pitch as the actual meaning of words in their language can be altered by how they’re pitched. Possibly one reason we now see so many talented Chinese classical pianists?
There is a big difference between having a very good musical ear and being sensitive to off key notes and perfect pitch. If I played a random 4 note chord on the piano would you be able to tell me precisely what 4 notes comprised the chord?
 
Runs in my family from my father’s side all the way back to Great, Great Grandpa who was choir master & church organist in Wales. Grandpa and Grandma met on the stage when opera singers. My father was also a choir master and sang in amateur opera. All of them as far as I know suffering from perfect pitch. My father was so sensitive he paid to have the family piano tuned every month. If it was out of tune (often happened in summer as it was exposed to sea breezes I suppose) he wouldn’t let me practice on it.
So, as I said, it can be a blessing and a curse.

The Chinese in general have a greater sensitivity to pitch as the actual meaning of words in their language can be altered by how they’re pitched. Possibly one reason we now see so many talented Chinese classical pianists?
There is a big difference between having a very good musical ear and being sensitive to off key notes and perfect pitch. If I played a random 4 note chord on the piano would you be able to tell me precisely what 4 notes comprised the chord?
For me that would depend upon the instrument being used. On a pipe organ, if those four notes were played on a single stop, probably yes. On a complex combination of stops probably only a percentage of the time due to the large range of overtones generated.
I also at times find it difficult to identify specific notes when hearing them via digital compression and synthesis. I have no idea why this should be the case but many of todays complex (messy?) recordings so confuse my sensitivities as to pitch I actually find them as much fun as running my fingernails down a blackboard. (apologies to a younger generation who probably haven’t had the nasty experience)
 
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Runs in my family from my father’s side all the way back to Great, Great Grandpa who was choir master & church organist in Wales. Grandpa and Grandma met on the stage when opera singers. My father was also a choir master and sang in amateur opera. All of them as far as I know suffering from perfect pitch. My father was so sensitive he paid to have the family piano tuned every month. If it was out of tune (often happened in summer as it was exposed to sea breezes I suppose) he wouldn’t let me practice on it.
So, as I said, it can be a blessing and a curse.

The Chinese in general have a greater sensitivity to pitch as the actual meaning of words in their language can be altered by how they’re pitched. Possibly one reason we now see so many talented Chinese classical pianists?
There is a big difference between having a very good musical ear and being sensitive to off key notes and perfect pitch. If I played a random 4 note chord on the piano would you be able to tell me precisely what 4 notes comprised the chord?
For me that would depend upon the instrument being used. On a pipe organ, if those four notes were played on a single stop, probably yes. On a complex combination of stops probably only a percentage of the time due to the large range of overtones generated.
I also at times find it difficult to identify specific notes when hearing them via digital compression and synthesis. I have no idea why this should be the case but many of todays complex (messy?) recordings so confuse my sensitivities as to pitch I actually find them as much fun as running my fingernails down a blackboard. (apologies to a younger generation who probably haven’t had the nasty experience)
So just a good old non-digital piano, 4 notes random chord could you identify the 4 notes? I'm curious with such a good ear do you play an instrument?
 
Runs in my family from my father’s side all the way back to Great, Great Grandpa who was choir master & church organist in Wales. Grandpa and Grandma met on the stage when opera singers. My father was also a choir master and sang in amateur opera. All of them as far as I know suffering from perfect pitch. My father was so sensitive he paid to have the family piano tuned every month. If it was out of tune (often happened in summer as it was exposed to sea breezes I suppose) he wouldn’t let me practice on it.
So, as I said, it can be a blessing and a curse.

The Chinese in general have a greater sensitivity to pitch as the actual meaning of words in their language can be altered by how they’re pitched. Possibly one reason we now see so many talented Chinese classical pianists?
There is a big difference between having a very good musical ear and being sensitive to off key notes and perfect pitch. If I played a random 4 note chord on the piano would you be able to tell me precisely what 4 notes comprised the chord?
For me that would depend upon the instrument being used. On a pipe organ, if those four notes were played on a single stop, probably yes. On a complex combination of stops probably only a percentage of the time due to the large range of overtones generated.
I also at times find it difficult to identify specific notes when hearing them via digital compression and synthesis. I have no idea why this should be the case but many of todays complex (messy?) recordings so confuse my sensitivities as to pitch I actually find them as much fun as running my fingernails down a blackboard. (apologies to a younger generation who probably haven’t had the nasty experience)
So just a good old non-digital piano, 4 notes random chord could you identify the 4 notes? I'm curious with such a good ear do you play an instrument?
No longer. Profoundly negative experiences behind the scenes in the cathedral where I learnt the pipe organ had me put aside forever my musical career. These days, 50 years or so later, I can hardly play scales. I can however still read musical scores and hear them in my head which is a great pleasure. Early on I compensated by becoming interested (obsessed?) by hi-fidelity (remember that) which is still for me an expensive addiction and great source of joy.
That and attending live performances of acoustic music with the occasional lapse into more synthetic kinds such as attending a Stevie Nicks concert in Melbourne.
Tomorrow I fly to the mainland to attend an organ recital.
 
So the count is, three people in this thread alone who claimed perfect pitch.

Dunning-Kruger is a thing. I used to be skeptical. No longer, it would seem.
 
I do not claim perfect pitch, I can only think A and C, too bad there's a bunch of other notes. :(

Okay I wasn't gonna say this, but yes I can make a D major chord, because A is the 5th. I can even get to B-flat, but it all has to come off of the A, which I do remember. I suppose that's not perfect pitch.

Perfect pitch to me would be hearing say..G# and knowing what it is by the sound.

I know 2 notes...C and A. I can pull them from memory accurately.
 
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I do not claim perfect pitch, I can only think A and C, too bad there's a bunch of other notes. :(

Okay I wasn't gonna say this, but yes I can make a D major chord, because A is the 5th. I can even get to B-flat, but it all has to come off of the A, which I do remember. I suppose that's not perfect pitch.

Perfect pitch to me would be hearing say..G# and knowing what it is by the sound.

I know 2 notes...C and A

But you can't hear and A and C by the sound and know what it is, or you can?
 
I do not claim perfect pitch, I can only think A and C, too bad there's a bunch of other notes. :(

Okay I wasn't gonna say this, but yes I can make a D major chord, because A is the 5th. I can even get to B-flat, but it all has to come off of the A, which I do remember. I suppose that's not perfect pitch.

Perfect pitch to me would be hearing say..G# and knowing what it is by the sound.

I know 2 notes...C and A

But you can't hear and A and C by the sound and know what it is, or you can?

I can, but only those 2.
 
I think the most important thing is being able to enjoy music and not get angry by musicians who couldn't play their way out of a barrel.
 

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