and don't know the pitch that starts a tune, how do you jump in? By the time I figure out what pitch the others are on, they're on to the next phrase. Of course, I've only attended one session.
play often and you will eventually be able to pick up on a pitch, mine isnt perfect but it's better than it used to be and i learned by singing and the way the note feels in my throat is how i identify the note
As I was mentioning in another thread earlier, you probably are still at a point where you know your tunes kinesthetically (muscle memory - you know where your fingers go next...) One of the problems with that is that you don't necessarily know how to jump into a tune at any place other than the beginning of the tune.
Don't worry! This is natural! The more experience you get with both your instrument and with the tunes, you will eventually be at a point where you will learn the shape of the tunes, and you'll be able to jump in at any point.
One thing that might help is to make sure that when you're practicing your tunes, if you make a mistake, make sure you keep playing. If you stop and then start over from the beginning, you're just reiterating the problem.
seisflutes' suggestion may seem a bit blunt, or sarcastic, but it is actually a great suggestion. You've made the first step, take another step and go to another session. It takes practice to get used to playing with other people. And it's not something you can practice on your own...
I am glad I don't have perfect pitch, and it's not just "sour grapes" for me. It would be hard enough in the classical world, with A from 440 (USA) to 442 and up (Europe). Imagine sitting in a session next to a box player tuned to 420, or attempting to match pitch with a GHB player at 460! No thanks. Be careful what you wish for.
I could never tune pianos if I had perfect pitch, and no one has better ears than a piano tuner who tunes aurally (ie, no tuning devices)
My caution is that "knowing the pitch" is only a smidgeon of the game. You have to know the tune, to "jump in" at a session. Granted, many tunes are played in different keys, and it's important to suss that out before you launch. But that's still secondary to knowing the tune.
Unless you are truly able to learn the tune on the fly. In which case, most people who do this listen through the tune once (quickly grasping what key and mode the tune is in) to catch the overall structure and the gist of the melody line. Then they pounce on the most salient phrases the second time through, and by the third or fourth, they fill in the gaps.
But if you're able to do this, you wouldn't be asking how to suss out the pitch.
Sit next to someone who plays the same instrument as you, and watch their hands while they play. When I set out to learn a tune at a session, this is what I do the first time the tune gets played. I don't have perfect pitch, either, but I can distinguish among modes, and by listening and watching, I can usually figure out the key of a tune pretty quickly. From there, I can figure out the tune much the way cheshire puddy tat describes, though replace "third or fourth" with "thirtieth or fortieth". (And yes, I'm still bitter about my pub cancelling our session just when I was *thisclose* to figuring out the one phrase in that lovely E minor reel that's been eluding me for months...)
I really need some sense of pitch for tuning more than playing. Following on Greg's conundrum, I tend to tune down a lot - between C# and C, all the way to Bb. The result, though, is that for all the intervals in the world, I could pick up a fiddle in a D session, have all strings be uniformly flat, and say, "Ah, lovely! Off we go!" Not a good way to play, methinks : \
From the perspective of a simple system wooden flute player (maybe others can tell me if the same is true for other instruments), every note has slightly different characteristic harmonics. It's part of what brings the colour to the instrument and the music. After a while you begin to recognise the notes by their characteristic sound. So I find it much easier to tell what note a flute player is playing (without looking at their fingers Over time I suspect that one can build this feeling for the other instruments that one hears regularly in a session. Having worked out the starting note for a phrase, the essential thing is then to fight the desire to join in, unless you really know the tune!
I think the important thing is not to recognise pitch, but to recognise intervals. It doesn't really matter what note you start on, so long as the proceeding intervals are accurate.
This music is all about intervals. The intervals of frequency between notes, in both senses. By this I mean mean harmonic intervals and intervals of time.
Just as it doesn't matter what pitch you start on, but it does matter that all the notes have the right pitch relation to each other, it also doesn't matter what speed you play, but it does matter that all the notes have the right time relation to each other.
NeilC, what you say is certainly true of the fiddle - and viola, cello, guitar, harp and the piano (the real thing, not electronic ). Every note has its own tone colour. For example, if you play a "C" on the A-string and compare it with the "C" of the same pitch played (in the 4th position) on the D-string you'll hear two very different tone colours. It's the same all over the instrument, and is an effect used by experienced players and by composers everywhere. Also, the tone colour of a single note can be varied by where you bow the string (e.g. close to the bridge, or over the end of the fingerboard) and by bow pressure. Tone colour is also affected by string type - gut, synthetic core, metal core, wound, etc – and tension.
Experienced fiddle players can often tell if the A-string is even only slightly off pitch (A440 or whatever) without playing it just by the feel of the change in tension. When playing, a string that goes out of tune, either flat or sharp, can by noticed by an experienced player without actually playing it because of slight changes in the resonances of the instrument.
Musicians who have been around for a while usually get the current tuning pitch (A440 etc) embedded in their brains, so if they hear a slightly flat A-string on the fiddle they know it immediately. I think “perfect pitch” is no more than remembering a particular tuning pitch you’ve got used to over the years.
I nearly ignored this thread as I thought it would be just about the art of pitching a piano accordion into a skip from 20 metres that lands perfectly on to a bodhrán!
Seriously though I'd agree that for playing solos,intervals are the thing. However, if playing with other instruments with fixed tuning (concertinas, accordions, etc) then pitch is critical as obviously we all have to be in tune. I agree with the point that knowing the tunes is essential and normally this will allow you to join in with ease unless of course it's one of those, thankfully rare, E flat sessions.
Sorry, I meant to say you don't need the art of perfect pitch when sitting next to a fixed instrument as you can borrow all the notes you need - my favourite is a concertina as the notes always seem much clearer.
I don't understand why melody players don't even try to develope pitch .Alot just turn up at sessions pretend they are tuning and then join in, others just sit there with blank expressions on there faces and just hope they are in tune when things start. If a humble bodhran player can devolope a way to find that A note after a few weeks of trying the rest of ye have no excuse. Its like everything else put a bit of thought and a bit of hard work into it .
I haven't got perfect pitch but can remember the pitch of the previous tune so have a good idea if it is the same or not.
If it isn't, I quietly play a note and work out the required interval up or down. (assuming you can work out what the tonic note is in a tune - that isn't anything to do with gin, bu the way)
To get back to the original discussion.........
surely our questioneer meant "key" ?
Tuninng and suchlike is a far different question to "what key is this in ? "
However, the general advice about "go along to more sessions" is absolutely sound in both cases.
It is all about memory, and it is all about intervals. Far more useful to me is the ability to hear the starting note in relation to the harmony. For example, I used to get the Kesh and Old Favourite mixed up untiI I remembered that Kesh starts on the tonic, and O.F. starts on the third of the chord.
I have never played in a small group session, where variations in pitch would be more noticeable (7 bodhrans last night!) and at our session, the pitch generally stabilizes and arrives at a consensus. This is a far cry from the symphonic world I usually inhabit, with tuners on every stand.
I can almost always find the first note. But by the time I've played it they're already on the 100th note. Sometimes I think I'll have to attend a thousand years of sessions before I can play a whole tune. :(
sbhikes, if you have some tunes under your belt that you can play all the way through when you're practicing by yourself, then find a friendly session to play in. Most sessions will ask you to start something, and you can start your tunes at a speed that you're comfortable with.
Everybody who plays this music was where you're at once. If you're not comfortable starting a tune when asked, then suggest the tune and ask if it can be played at a speed that you can handle.
The only way to get better at this is to keep doing it. And you WILL get better. Try not to be too intimidated by the fact that the other players are better than you. In general, they'll be supportive, and aren't going to judge you for being a beginner.
Giving up is only an option if you're not addicted like the rest of us
sbhikes - one thing that really helped me starting out was finding some other similarly skilled players and picking a few tunes each month to learn together. It's fun, it helps push you along and you make lots of new friends. before you know it, you have a few dozen tunes under your belt.
Diane,
Just pick, say, five jigs and five reels that you know will be played often at your session, and practice them every day. When they come up, you'll be ready.
By focusing on a small number of tunes, you will be more confident and the session will be more fun. That's what I do; otherwise, the sheer number of tunes is daunting, like drinking water from a firehose.
(I was the one who initiated this discussion). When I went to my one and only session (several weeks ago) I would think I had picked up part of a tune, (and sometimes could even play a bit of it with the others), Other times, I couldn't find whatever note everyone else is on. I could keep one part of a tune in my head for 2 seconds, even if I didn't know it before and can't remember it now.
Yes, looking at the other fiddle players' hand did help, Tall Dark and Mysterious. And Greg, you're absolutely correct, there is no way I can learn more than a few tunes. It's overwhelming!
Thanks for all the advice.
I could match the tone if I had some quiet to listen to myself and match the pitch. Obviously, session work like that.
There have been times when I've tried to accompany a singer on the violin in a song for which I knew the intervals perfectly well, but had trouble locating where the singer had started.
[and don't know the pitch that starts a tune, how do you jump in? By the time I figure out what pitch the others are on, they're on to the next phrase.]
this puts you in the fortunate situation of needing to wait a sec before jumping in. this will give you a chance to gauge the beat, the tempo, the swing, etc., and make you seem like a total pro when you jump in. you can wait for the "a" part to start the second time through and then deign to join with poise and aplomb.
Plus,
I believe there are three levels of knowledge of any given tune;
1) you've played it before and it seems familiar, and you can join in with some hesitation. You may not be sure of the second part but blend in well.
2) you have played the tune many times, and although you may not remember the name, or sometimes get the B section switched, you soldier on and play the whole thing.
3) you are able to start the tune in your session with all eyes (and ears) on you, sure and confident, and most especially the second (and third) tune if you've called a medley.
What I wouldn't give to be at level 3! (of course, with the sheet music next to me I could, but then Michael might whack me with his bow.
Greg, it's more fluid than you one to three. You have tunes you know, then you realise you don't know them. And you have tunes you think you don't know but realise you do. And then you have the relavation that there is no such thing as knowing a tune, only having a feel for it. And then shrug off tunes because you know them too well. etc etc
Llig, you seem to be getting very close to Donald Rumsfeld here. ;)
'The message is:
That there are known knowns,
There are things we know that we know,
There are known unknowns,
That is to say there are things that we now know, we don't know
But there are also unknown unknowns,
There are things we do not know we don't know
And each year we discover a few more
Of those unknown unknowns.'
That's an interesting article, davydd. And I filled out the associated survey.
I don't claim to have "perfect pitch" by any stretch of the imagination. But there is *something* there.
I often wake up in the morning with a tune in my head. No reference pitch, I'll be lilting the tune to myself, and about half the time, when I pick up my instrument, I was singing it at or very near the correct pitch.
Most of that is probably just being familiar with my own vocal range. But it's still kind of disconcerting when it happens!
For those of us without perfect pitch...
For those of us without perfect pitch...
and don't know the pitch that starts a tune, how do you jump in? By the time I figure out what pitch the others are on, they're on to the next phrase. Of course, I've only attended one session.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by eblank
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Attend more sessions.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by seisflutes
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
play often and you will eventually be able to pick up on a pitch, mine isnt perfect but it's better than it used to be and i learned by singing and the way the note feels in my throat is how i identify the note
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by WannabeWhistler
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
As I was mentioning in another thread earlier, you probably are still at a point where you know your tunes kinesthetically (muscle memory - you know where your fingers go next...) One of the problems with that is that you don't necessarily know how to jump into a tune at any place other than the beginning of the tune.
Don't worry! This is natural! The more experience you get with both your instrument and with the tunes, you will eventually be at a point where you will learn the shape of the tunes, and you'll be able to jump in at any point.
One thing that might help is to make sure that when you're practicing your tunes, if you make a mistake, make sure you keep playing. If you stop and then start over from the beginning, you're just reiterating the problem.
seisflutes' suggestion may seem a bit blunt, or sarcastic, but it is actually a great suggestion. You've made the first step, take another step and go to another session. It takes practice to get used to playing with other people. And it's not something you can practice on your own...
Good luck with it!
Pete
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Reverend
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
eblank, what instrument do you play? And are you talking about "jumping in" on a tune you know already, or one you don't know?
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Will CPT
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Sorry, I didn't mean to be sarcastic. Blunt... well, maybe. I am sorry if it seemed rude.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by seisflutes
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
LOL, nah, it would only be taken as rude if Michael had psoted it...
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Will CPT
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
or "posted" it, even...
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Will CPT
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
eblank is a fiddle player, if I remember correctly...
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Reverend
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I am glad I don't have perfect pitch, and it's not just "sour grapes" for me. It would be hard enough in the classical world, with A from 440 (USA) to 442 and up (Europe). Imagine sitting in a session next to a box player tuned to 420, or attempting to match pitch with a GHB player at 460! No thanks. Be careful what you wish for.
I could never tune pianos if I had perfect pitch, and no one has better ears than a piano tuner who tunes aurally (ie, no tuning devices)
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
My caution is that "knowing the pitch" is only a smidgeon of the game. You have to know the tune, to "jump in" at a session. Granted, many tunes are played in different keys, and it's important to suss that out before you launch. But that's still secondary to knowing the tune.
Unless you are truly able to learn the tune on the fly. In which case, most people who do this listen through the tune once (quickly grasping what key and mode the tune is in) to catch the overall structure and the gist of the melody line. Then they pounce on the most salient phrases the second time through, and by the third or fourth, they fill in the gaps.
But if you're able to do this, you wouldn't be asking how to suss out the pitch.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Will CPT
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Sit next to someone who plays the same instrument as you, and watch their hands while they play. When I set out to learn a tune at a session, this is what I do the first time the tune gets played. I don't have perfect pitch, either, but I can distinguish among modes, and by listening and watching, I can usually figure out the key of a tune pretty quickly. From there, I can figure out the tune much the way cheshire puddy tat describes, though replace "third or fourth" with "thirtieth or fortieth". (And yes, I'm still bitter about my pub cancelling our session just when I was *thisclose* to figuring out the one phrase in that lovely E minor reel that's been eluding me for months...)
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I really need some sense of pitch for tuning more than playing. Following on Greg's conundrum, I tend to tune down a lot - between C# and C, all the way to Bb. The result, though, is that for all the intervals in the world, I could pick up a fiddle in a D session, have all strings be uniformly flat, and say, "Ah, lovely! Off we go!" Not a good way to play, methinks : \
--DtM
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Dan the Man
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
If I don't know the tune I don't join in on a melody instument.If I'm backing on bouzouki or guitar I find the tonic note,and then I know the key.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by dafydd
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
From the perspective of a simple system wooden flute player (maybe others can tell me if the same is true for other instruments), every note has slightly different characteristic harmonics. It's part of what brings the colour to the instrument and the music. After a while you begin to recognise the notes by their characteristic sound. So I find it much easier to tell what note a flute player is playing (without looking at their fingers
Over time I suspect that one can build this feeling for the other instruments that one hears regularly in a session. Having worked out the starting note for a phrase, the essential thing is then to fight the desire to join in, unless you really know the tune!
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by NeilC
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I think the important thing is not to recognise pitch, but to recognise intervals. It doesn't really matter what note you start on, so long as the proceeding intervals are accurate.
This music is all about intervals. The intervals of frequency between notes, in both senses. By this I mean mean harmonic intervals and intervals of time.
Just as it doesn't matter what pitch you start on, but it does matter that all the notes have the right pitch relation to each other, it also doesn't matter what speed you play, but it does matter that all the notes have the right time relation to each other.
It's all about intervals, not absolutes.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by llig leahcim
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
NeilC, what you say is certainly true of the fiddle - and viola, cello, guitar, harp and the piano (the real thing, not electronic ). Every note has its own tone colour. For example, if you play a "C" on the A-string and compare it with the "C" of the same pitch played (in the 4th position) on the D-string you'll hear two very different tone colours. It's the same all over the instrument, and is an effect used by experienced players and by composers everywhere. Also, the tone colour of a single note can be varied by where you bow the string (e.g. close to the bridge, or over the end of the fingerboard) and by bow pressure. Tone colour is also affected by string type - gut, synthetic core, metal core, wound, etc – and tension.
Experienced fiddle players can often tell if the A-string is even only slightly off pitch (A440 or whatever) without playing it just by the feel of the change in tension. When playing, a string that goes out of tune, either flat or sharp, can by noticed by an experienced player without actually playing it because of slight changes in the resonances of the instrument.
Musicians who have been around for a while usually get the current tuning pitch (A440 etc) embedded in their brains, so if they hear a slightly flat A-string on the fiddle they know it immediately. I think “perfect pitch” is no more than remembering a particular tuning pitch you’ve got used to over the years.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by lazyhound
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
This is really starting to worry me...
the more I read these posts, the more I find myself agreeing with Mr Gill. Gulp!
It's all about intervals.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by bc_box_player
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I nearly ignored this thread as I thought it would be just about the art of pitching a piano accordion into a skip from 20 metres that lands perfectly on to a bodhrán!
Seriously though I'd agree that for playing solos,intervals are the thing. However, if playing with other instruments with fixed tuning (concertinas, accordions, etc) then pitch is critical as obviously we all have to be in tune. I agree with the point that knowing the tunes is essential and normally this will allow you to join in with ease unless of course it's one of those, thankfully rare, E flat sessions.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Bannerman
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Sorry, I meant to say you don't need the art of perfect pitch when sitting next to a fixed instrument as you can borrow all the notes you need - my favourite is a concertina as the notes always seem much clearer.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Bannerman
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I don't understand why melody players don't even try to develope pitch .Alot just turn up at sessions pretend they are tuning and then join in, others just sit there with blank expressions on there faces and just hope they are in tune when things start. If a humble bodhran player can devolope a way to find that A note after a few weeks of trying the rest of ye have no excuse. Its like everything else put a bit of thought and a bit of hard work into it .
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Saint
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I haven't got perfect pitch but can remember the pitch of the previous tune so have a good idea if it is the same or not.
If it isn't, I quietly play a note and work out the required interval up or down. (assuming you can work out what the tonic note is in a tune - that isn't anything to do with gin, bu the way)
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by geoffwright
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I wish I had a fastball like Josh Beckett of the Red Sox, now there is a perfect pitch!
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by AlBrown
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
There are alot of bad pitches in Cork and we still produced some great hurlers.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Saint
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
To get back to the original discussion.........
surely our questioneer meant "key" ?
Tuninng and suchlike is a far different question to "what key is this in ? "
However, the general advice about "go along to more sessions" is absolutely sound in both cases.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Guernsey Pete
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I have perfect pitch... it just happens to be at variance with what Western art music considers perfect pitch.
H.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Harry B
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
It is all about memory, and it is all about intervals. Far more useful to me is the ability to hear the starting note in relation to the harmony. For example, I used to get the Kesh and Old Favourite mixed up untiI I remembered that Kesh starts on the tonic, and O.F. starts on the third of the chord.
I have never played in a small group session, where variations in pitch would be more noticeable (7 bodhrans last night!) and at our session, the pitch generally stabilizes and arrives at a consensus. This is a far cry from the symphonic world I usually inhabit, with tuners on every stand.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
7 bodhrans greg thats crazy I can't play with another bodhran at a session never mind 7.......................There are some great points above.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Saint
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Beckett's fastball is astounding, but I'm a big fan of the eccentric flight patterns of Tim Wakefield's knuckleball.
"Come all ye gallant sportsmen and listen unto me..."
...and yes, I believe the questioneer is referring to key, not pitch, but I could be wrong.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I can almost always find the first note. But by the time I've played it they're already on the 100th note. Sometimes I think I'll have to attend a thousand years of sessions before I can play a whole tune. :(
Maybe I should give up.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by sbhikes
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
sbhikes, if you have some tunes under your belt that you can play all the way through when you're practicing by yourself, then find a friendly session to play in. Most sessions will ask you to start something, and you can start your tunes at a speed that you're comfortable with.
Everybody who plays this music was where you're at once. If you're not comfortable starting a tune when asked, then suggest the tune and ask if it can be played at a speed that you can handle.
The only way to get better at this is to keep doing it. And you WILL get better. Try not to be too intimidated by the fact that the other players are better than you. In general, they'll be supportive, and aren't going to judge you for being a beginner.
Giving up is only an option if you're not addicted like the rest of us
Pete
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Reverend
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
sbhikes - one thing that really helped me starting out was finding some other similarly skilled players and picking a few tunes each month to learn together. It's fun, it helps push you along and you make lots of new friends. before you know it, you have a few dozen tunes under your belt.
Like the good Reverend says - stay with it!
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Jusa Nutter Eejit
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Diane,
Just pick, say, five jigs and five reels that you know will be played often at your session, and practice them every day. When they come up, you'll be ready.
By focusing on a small number of tunes, you will be more confident and the session will be more fun. That's what I do; otherwise, the sheer number of tunes is daunting, like drinking water from a firehose.
Then, I try to add one tune per week.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
(I was the one who initiated this discussion). When I went to my one and only session (several weeks ago) I would think I had picked up part of a tune, (and sometimes could even play a bit of it with the others), Other times, I couldn't find whatever note everyone else is on. I could keep one part of a tune in my head for 2 seconds, even if I didn't know it before and can't remember it now.
Yes, looking at the other fiddle players' hand did help, Tall Dark and Mysterious. And Greg, you're absolutely correct, there is no way I can learn more than a few tunes. It's overwhelming!
Thanks for all the advice.
I could match the tone if I had some quiet to listen to myself and match the pitch. Obviously, session work like that.
There have been times when I've tried to accompany a singer on the violin in a song for which I knew the intervals perfectly well, but had trouble locating where the singer had started.
sbhikes, I feel your pain.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by eblank
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Er, I mean session don't work like that
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by eblank
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
[and don't know the pitch that starts a tune, how do you jump in? By the time I figure out what pitch the others are on, they're on to the next phrase.]
this puts you in the fortunate situation of needing to wait a sec before jumping in. this will give you a chance to gauge the beat, the tempo, the swing, etc., and make you seem like a total pro when you jump in. you can wait for the "a" part to start the second time through and then deign to join with poise and aplomb.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by ceemonster
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Plus,
I believe there are three levels of knowledge of any given tune;
1) you've played it before and it seems familiar, and you can join in with some hesitation. You may not be sure of the second part but blend in well.
2) you have played the tune many times, and although you may not remember the name, or sometimes get the B section switched, you soldier on and play the whole thing.
3) you are able to start the tune in your session with all eyes (and ears) on you, sure and confident, and most especially the second (and third) tune if you've called a medley.
What I wouldn't give to be at level 3! (of course, with the sheet music next to me I could, but then Michael might whack me with his bow.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Greg the Piano Tuner
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Greg, it's more fluid than you one to three. You have tunes you know, then you realise you don't know them. And you have tunes you think you don't know but realise you do. And then you have the relavation that there is no such thing as knowing a tune, only having a feel for it. And then shrug off tunes because you know them too well. etc etc
Backwards and forward, there are no absolutes.
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by llig leahcim
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
Llig, you seem to be getting very close to Donald Rumsfeld here. ;)
'The message is:
That there are known knowns,
There are things we know that we know,
There are known unknowns,
That is to say there are things that we now know, we don't know
But there are also unknown unknowns,
There are things we do not know we don't know
And each year we discover a few more
Of those unknown unknowns.'
# Posted on August 28th 2007 by Floss the Tethers
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
I found this newspaper article today...
http://abc.net.au/science/news/stories/2007/2017392.htm
# Posted on August 29th 2007 by davydd
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
That's an interesting article, davydd. And I filled out the associated survey.
I don't claim to have "perfect pitch" by any stretch of the imagination. But there is *something* there.
I often wake up in the morning with a tune in my head. No reference pitch, I'll be lilting the tune to myself, and about half the time, when I pick up my instrument, I was singing it at or very near the correct pitch.
Most of that is probably just being familiar with my own vocal range. But it's still kind of disconcerting when it happens!
Pete
# Posted on August 29th 2007 by Reverend
Re: For those of us without perfect pitch...
And if anybody cares, I didn't meet their requirements for "perfect pitch", and the scores were: <drumroll>
AP rank: 5.00
Pure tone score: 7.75
Piano tone score: 6.75
Which I have no idea what it means... Just like I had no idea what any of the notes were that were played.
Pete
# Posted on August 29th 2007 by Reverend