4 ms·

A music teacher once explained it to us like this: "perfect pitch" is simply memory. If you recall what something sounds like you can can compare and figure out

A music teacher once explained it to us like this: "perfect pitch" is simply memory. If you recall what something sounds like you can can compare and figure out what any note is. Some people have an amazing memory, some people have to work at it. But you can create all kinds of mnemonics to help you remember things, and pitch is no different. By the end of his class I had a firm grasp on all the intervals and was getting really good at getting absolute notes. Had I continued training myself I have no doubt I could be considered to have "perfect pitch" (as could most of the class). It really demystified the whole thing to me.

baddox 12y ago
Personally, it feels to me like the ability to recognize intervals (relative pitch) is so much easier than the ability to recognize pitches (absolute pitch) that I wonder if they really are both "simply memory." Why is one so much harder than the other?
- dfan 12y ago
  Well, it's also a lot harder to tell a whether a given square is 20" or 19" on a side at a glance than it is to tell a whether a given rectangle is 2 x 1 or 1.9 x 1. Does that analogy help? It's more relevant than it might seem; absolute pitch is about recognizing frequencies and relative pitch is about recognizing ratios of frequencies.
  - baddox 12y ago
    That's true, but can you "memorize" something that lets you tell whether a given square is 20 or 19 inches on a side?
    - sukilot 12y ago
      If you spent a lot of time with 20" squares (carpenter?), I bet you'd start to notice that 19" looked small, even in isolation.
psychometry 12y ago
Absolute pitch (the proper name) is a spectrum. I have it myself, but my abilities pale in comparison to some others. While I have no problem identifying single notes and smaller chords, others can immediately name 10+ note chords. There's also the question of range: I'm hopeless at the extremes of the piano while others have no problem. Many musicians are able to memorize the tuning note A440, for instance, which suggests absolute pitch is not simply a boolean property of our brains but rather an ability that can vary (and be improved) like relative pitch. That being said, I do think those perfect pitch courses you see on Amazon are mostly snake oil.
tmuir 12y ago
Mnemonics is totally how it works for me. I can hear songs in my head in tune. Through learning to play guitar, I've memorized songs for each note, by the first chord of each song. A: Jessica, Allman Brothers A#: In Bloom, Nirvana B: Out on the Weekend, Neil Young C: Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan C#: Say it Aint So, Weezer D: Moonage Daydream, David Bowie D#: Woman, John Lennon E: Melissa, Allman Brothers F: Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana F#: Foxy Lady, Jimi Hendrix G: Santa Monica, Everclear G#: Brain Stew, Greenday The only part I'm not completely convinced is a learned skill is being able to internalize the song in the first place. Intervals are the same. Minor 2nd: The Jaws theme Major 2nd: Mary had a Little Lamb Minor 3rd: What Child is This Major 3rd: Kumbayah Perfect 4th: Here Comes the Bride Tritone: The Simpsons Perfect 5th: The Star Wars Theme Minor 6th: Close Every Door to Me Major 6th: The NBC Theme Minor 7th: Somewhere(Theres a place for us) Major 7th: Take on Me Octave: Somewhere over the Rainbow
- b6 12y ago
  This is amazing. Thanks so much for posting this. I "listen" to music all day in my head but never thought about using it to be able to sing the specific notes. I'm looking forward to trying this later with my guitar.
- rubberbandage 12y ago
  Terrific list, thank you! I have pretty good absolute pitch, and can hear songs play in my head just like the real thing (I often wear headphones that aren’t connected to anything and just “listen”), but I never thought to make the connections like this. Very fun!
- laxatives 12y ago
  What happens when you transpose one of your first chord songs?
- KaiserPro 12y ago
  Ha, This is awesome.
xmjee 12y ago
> "perfect pitch" is simply memory. Too bad not every teachers will tell you this.

baddox 12y ago

Personally, it feels to me like the ability to recognize intervals (relative pitch) is so much easier than the ability to recognize pitches (absolute pitch) that I wonder if they really are both "simply memory." Why is one so much harder than the other?

dfan 12y ago
Well, it's also a lot harder to tell a whether a given square is 20" or 19" on a side at a glance than it is to tell a whether a given rectangle is 2 x 1 or 1.9 x 1. Does that analogy help? It's more relevant than it might seem; absolute pitch is about recognizing frequencies and relative pitch is about recognizing ratios of frequencies.
- baddox 12y ago
  That's true, but can you "memorize" something that lets you tell whether a given square is 20 or 19 inches on a side?
  - sukilot 12y ago
    If you spent a lot of time with 20" squares (carpenter?), I bet you'd start to notice that 19" looked small, even in isolation.

psychometry 12y ago

Absolute pitch (the proper name) is a spectrum. I have it myself, but my abilities pale in comparison to some others. While I have no problem identifying single notes and smaller chords, others can immediately name 10+ note chords. There's also the question of range: I'm hopeless at the extremes of the piano while others have no problem. Many musicians are able to memorize the tuning note A440, for instance, which suggests absolute pitch is not simply a boolean property of our brains but rather an ability that can vary (and be improved) like relative pitch. That being said, I do think those perfect pitch courses you see on Amazon are mostly snake oil.

tmuir 12y ago

Mnemonics is totally how it works for me. I can hear songs in my head in tune. Through learning to play guitar, I've memorized songs for each note, by the first chord of each song. A: Jessica, Allman Brothers A#: In Bloom, Nirvana B: Out on the Weekend, Neil Young C: Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan C#: Say it Aint So, Weezer D: Moonage Daydream, David Bowie D#: Woman, John Lennon E: Melissa, Allman Brothers F: Smells Like Teen Spirit, Nirvana F#: Foxy Lady, Jimi Hendrix G: Santa Monica, Everclear G#: Brain Stew, Greenday The only part I'm not completely convinced is a learned skill is being able to internalize the song in the first place. Intervals are the same. Minor 2nd: The Jaws theme Major 2nd: Mary had a Little Lamb Minor 3rd: What Child is This Major 3rd: Kumbayah Perfect 4th: Here Comes the Bride Tritone: The Simpsons Perfect 5th: The Star Wars Theme Minor 6th: Close Every Door to Me Major 6th: The NBC Theme Minor 7th: Somewhere(Theres a place for us) Major 7th: Take on Me Octave: Somewhere over the Rainbow

b6 12y ago
This is amazing. Thanks so much for posting this. I "listen" to music all day in my head but never thought about using it to be able to sing the specific notes. I'm looking forward to trying this later with my guitar.
rubberbandage 12y ago
Terrific list, thank you! I have pretty good absolute pitch, and can hear songs play in my head just like the real thing (I often wear headphones that aren’t connected to anything and just “listen”), but I never thought to make the connections like this. Very fun!
laxatives 12y ago
What happens when you transpose one of your first chord songs?
KaiserPro 12y ago
Ha, This is awesome.

xmjee 12y ago

> "perfect pitch" is simply memory. Too bad not every teachers will tell you this.