4 ms·

I'm fascinated by this discussion because of how imprecise the terms "perfect," "absolute," "pseudo-absolute," etc. are. It's doubly interesting because we're d

I'm fascinated by this discussion because of how imprecise the terms "perfect," "absolute," "pseudo-absolute," etc. are. It's doubly interesting because we're describing things that happen in our own minds, with each of us having potentially different abilities and training and no common reference to what a "typical" person can do. For me, sometimes, I can hear the opening note or chord of one song and it will immediately remind me of another unrelated song. When I check, they're almost always either in the same key or a semitone off. It happens most reliably when the timbres are similar. It's not a conscious thing, and the more I try to make it happen the less it ever does. Oddly enough though, I am terrible at identifying intervals. (Major third, perfect fifth, yeah, I know they're different and I can hear that, but ask me out of the blue which one was just played and I'll manage to get it wrong.) Another thing I can do is play what is essentially a "mental recording" of a song I know well in my head. It's like if I had an iPod, and I felt some urge to listen to "La Grange" by ZZ Top, I can hear it in my head -- guitars, drums, vocals. I can skip around to whatever part interests me. I find that when I start tapping out the rhythms of what I'm recalling, or humming along with its melody, my recollection is pretty spot on when played against a real recording on speakers. Again maybe a semitone off at worst. Both of those suggest to me that, somewhere in there, I do have an absolute pitch reference that I'm drawing from in an undisciplined way. If I sat down and practiced I bet I could refine it, but... why? Might be a neat party trick, but aside from that I don't really feel like I'm missing anything without it.

vunderba 2y ago
For some there is joy in the act itself even if the benefits are dubious at best. Just look at how much time we as a species have spent on mastering the rubik's cube.
Slow_Hand 2y ago
The meaning of perfect pitch is unambiguous. When a note is played someone with perfect pitch can identify that pitch (Ab, F, C#, etc) without a reference. Also known as absolute pitch. If someone has relative pitch it means that they need to hear a reference pitch before they can identify the played pitch based on the interval between the two. Perfect pitch may seem like a party trick for a casual musician, but if you're a dedicated musician the skill is an asset that allows you to execute a whole lot quicker. Occasionally it can be a curse, because you're more sensitive to out-of-tune notes.
- bennettnate5 2y ago
  The definition of relative pitch is unfortunately ambiguous, however--I've heard it defined as being able to pick out one note or several note, but having to rely on that reference note from memory to determine the pitch of other notes. I have A flat and E flat burned into my mind from playing Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf rag so many times as a teenager, so if I think hard I can figure out what any note is based on that reference. I can't quickly identify a note without doing that in my mind though, so I don't claim to have perfect pitch.
  - ithkuil 2y ago
    You have a slow perfect pitch
- dghf 2y ago
  > The meaning of perfect pitch is unambiguous. When a note is played someone with perfect pitch can identify that pitch (Ab, F, C#, etc) without a reference. Also known as absolute pitch. How does that work with variations in concert pitch? As I understand it, although the most common standard is to tune the A above middle C to 440 Hz, it's not universal. Are the differences too small to matter? Or does music played on instruments tuned to a different standard sound "off"? Or are the other standards sufficiently rare that most musicians will never encounter them?
  - dhruvrajvanshi 2y ago
    Perfect pitch means that you can identify 440 Hz. Whether you call it A or slightly flat A is a matter of convention. It's like saying water melts at 0 degrees Celcius vs 33 Fahrenheit. As long as you're talking about the same temperature, it doesn't matter.

vunderba 2y ago

For some there is joy in the act itself even if the benefits are dubious at best. Just look at how much time we as a species have spent on mastering the rubik's cube.

Slow_Hand 2y ago

The meaning of perfect pitch is unambiguous. When a note is played someone with perfect pitch can identify that pitch (Ab, F, C#, etc) without a reference. Also known as absolute pitch. If someone has relative pitch it means that they need to hear a reference pitch before they can identify the played pitch based on the interval between the two. Perfect pitch may seem like a party trick for a casual musician, but if you're a dedicated musician the skill is an asset that allows you to execute a whole lot quicker. Occasionally it can be a curse, because you're more sensitive to out-of-tune notes.

bennettnate5 2y ago
The definition of relative pitch is unfortunately ambiguous, however--I've heard it defined as being able to pick out one note or several note, but having to rely on that reference note from memory to determine the pitch of other notes. I have A flat and E flat burned into my mind from playing Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf rag so many times as a teenager, so if I think hard I can figure out what any note is based on that reference. I can't quickly identify a note without doing that in my mind though, so I don't claim to have perfect pitch.
- ithkuil 2y ago
  You have a slow perfect pitch
dghf 2y ago
> The meaning of perfect pitch is unambiguous. When a note is played someone with perfect pitch can identify that pitch (Ab, F, C#, etc) without a reference. Also known as absolute pitch. How does that work with variations in concert pitch? As I understand it, although the most common standard is to tune the A above middle C to 440 Hz, it's not universal. Are the differences too small to matter? Or does music played on instruments tuned to a different standard sound "off"? Or are the other standards sufficiently rare that most musicians will never encounter them?
- dhruvrajvanshi 2y ago
  Perfect pitch means that you can identify 440 Hz. Whether you call it A or slightly flat A is a matter of convention. It's like saying water melts at 0 degrees Celcius vs 33 Fahrenheit. As long as you're talking about the same temperature, it doesn't matter.