| To: VOCALIST <vocalist> Date sent: Sat, 5 Feb 2000 22:44:55 -0000 Subject: RE: Perfect Pitch was: Arias Transposed Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>
I believe perfect pitch to be an in-built ability in everyone.
I can not claim to have perfect pitch, although my pitch recognition is getting better as I get to know the names of tones. I was self taught, non sight reading in music until one year ago.
I certainly pleased myself this evening when I wanted to learn how to play Aguas de Marco ( waters of march ) by Antonio Carlos Jobim. I sang the first few words and said to myself, hmm, that sounds like C#, A and off I went. Well, not perfect pitch by any means, but it is much better pitch recognition by name than I had twelve months ago.
My belief is that those who seem to be 'born with' perfect pitch have for one reason or another become relaxed and accustomed to the different 'flavour', 'feel', or 'colour' - call it what you will of the various tones - they have also had some musical instruction of some sort which teaches them the musical notation names of those tones so that they can then name each tone they hear. A relaxed approach, I feel, is very much the secret. A mind and ear held in tension is much less likely to feel the subtle colours than a relaxed ear and a relaxed approach.
As for scientific studies suggesting that people with perfect pitch have one area of their brain which is larger than in others, I am quite ready to believe that to be true, but I am also aware that the brain can be retrained. I mean that whatever area of the brain is used for pitch recognition can be cultivated - more easily at a very young age, but still possible in later life. I get a very real sensation that I would not be able to learn jazz music improvisation in the way I am doing now had I not given up my 9 to 5 'computer expert' job. My brain simply is not big enough to house thousands of little bits of computer knowledge and all the bits of musical knowledge at the same time - I am just not that clever. Studies of Einstein's brain have suggested that a mathematical area of his brain had 'annexed' an adjoining part of the brain which was less often used so that it could be used for mathematics too. I plan to slowly get my brain to use up all the grey matter it used to use to figure out the complex Unix operating system for music. If my theory is right, I might even find a little bit of grey matter that is willing to work out pitches for me.
John
John Cheshire AKA A Baritone....... Who, little me?
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