How many of us have perfect pitch?

This should prove interesting, seeing as this has been a hot topic for discussion lately. How many of us here on YC have actually do have perfect pitch?

Feel free to continue the perfect pitch discussions here! :P

- BE

I'm still working on it, but I don't have it yet. I can roughly guess what most pitches are based on knowing the limits of my own singing range and how certain notes feel in my voice.

I don't have it, but sometimes I just do get notes.

I think it's improving, but time will tell.

Not especially important though.

im not perfect but, .. ok. I really dont see the point and need of it. I just dont care one bit.

Me neither...

I think in my case it would be a hindrance...I'm better off not having something naturally and having to just work around it, in general. It seems to motivate me somehow.

But it is of interest to me, sort of this mysterious power that people have that I don't understand.

My perfect pitch is soooo good, that my ear can piss circles around your ear...

jk :sadtears:

But that's still not perfect pitch :sadtears:

It's entirely (or at least mostly) seperate from relative pitch.

To be honest though, I think very good relative pitch is more important.

To be honest though, I think very good relative pitch is more important.

Care to elaborate? :sadtears:

- BE

I have perfect pitch, so I get some trouble with transposition :sadtears:

I think relative pitch is more important so that you can hear intervals well.

With perfect pitch you might go.

There's a Bb.... theres an E .... now what the hell is that.... hmm.

Whereas someone with relative pitch might go.. hmm there's a note... and there's a dimished fifth above it.

I however don't know how it works when you have perfect pitch.. so I may be off the mark here.

I think relative pitch is more important so that you can hear intervals well.

With perfect pitch you might go.

There's a Bb.... theres an E .... now what the hell is that.... hmm.

Whereas someone with relative pitch might go.. hmm there's a note... and there's a dimished fifth above it.

I however don't know how it works when you have perfect pitch.. so I may be off the mark here.

Well, I doubt that's a very common situation. Personally, having perfect pitch only facilitated the process of learning intervals.

- BE

I personally know all the intervals immediately, but this does not mean perfect pitch. Perfect pitch means recognising exact note when hearing.

I personally know all the intervals immediately, but this does not mean perfect pitch. Perfect pitch means recognising exact note when hearing.

Exactly, but I'm saying, with perfect pitch, the study of intervals and the like becomes incredibly easy, unlike what Daniel suggests above. The abilities of someone with perfect pitch and those of someone with very good relative pitch should be near equal, as far as intervallic recognition is concerned.

- BE

Do you believe it is possible to develop your ear to the point where you can identify each tone, without needing a reference, within a random chord consisting of three tones correctly?

Take care,

Elcon

i dont have it at all, if you play a F sharp, to me it sounds like an H (im not sure how it would be an H, since H obviously isn't a note, but you get the idea)

i would like perfect pitch though

everyone has "perfect pitch" big donkey quote marks here

everyone has "perfect pitch" big donkey quote marks here

What?

:D

i mean i question what "perfect pitch" really means since in 90% of the cases from what i can gather its just a rapid mental approximation by measuring the interval in other words what people are calling "relative pitch"

in my experience at least, what i thought was a gift i lacked turned out to be nothing more than a skill which is practiced... you needent even go as far as considering it "developing the ear" or something like that... everyone more or less has a sense of what key their favorite song might be in, for example... and tahts your "perfect pitch" right there

i mean i question what "perfect pitch" really means since in 90% of the cases from what i can gather its just a rapid mental approximation by measuring the interval in other words what people are calling "relative pitch"

in my experience at least, what i thought was a gift i lacked turned out to be nothing more than a skill which is practiced... you needent even go as far as considering it "developing the ear" or something like that... everyone more or less has a sense of what key their favorite song might be in, for example... and tahts your "perfect pitch" right there

You know, you make more sense when you write out what you're thinking. Thanks for clarifying.

Yes, I agree. To the uneducated, relative pitch seems like perfect pitch.

whether you are measuring the interval or have a fixed sense of each pitch is just a little detail... and if you are emasuring the interval you obviously have a fixed sense of the pitch you are measuring against... with enough practice you will have a nice sense of the other pitches too, id say to the point where you can recognize fractions of semitones

I realise having perfect pitch may well help you improve at interval recognition, but you had to work seperately to get that interval recognition, so what you said didn't really mean anything.

Btw, anyone know anything about thirds, and 'difference pitches' or something like that. I've forgotten the exact term, but you might know what I'm referring to.

hey all,

i have perfect pitch but i don't recognise notes by intervals, which is what alot of you seem to be saying... each note just sorta sounds different, and you can just "tell" what a note is much in the same way as if you hear a clarinet you know it's a clarinet because it sounds like a clarinet...?

@daniel: not too sure what you mean. I've read in an ear training book that major thirds are about 1/10th of a semitone too sharp, and minor thirds are 1/10th of a semitone too flat in western tuning, so western ears have learnt to give alot of leeway to thirds (for example, you can bend a third up and down when you sing and it still sounds like a third, you try doing it with a perfect fifth and you're in trouble!) ...anything like what you meant?

oh yeah, and i'm new - hey everybody, this looks like a pretty cool site, it's great to see a bunch of people that aren't gonna laugh at me when i say i enjoy composition :mellow: