Pitch Memory

[John Musselwhite]

Season's Greetings to everyone!

Since Gordon asked for comments about perfect pitch...  <g>

>> Silly me.  I always thought "perfect pitch" was when the bases were loaded in
>> the bottom of the ninth, visiting team is ahead by one run, the count is

I always thought it was the ability to toss a set of bagpipes into the
toilet without hitting the rim!

>My response to the "perfect pitch" question is (with acknowledgment to
>David Burge) that pitch perception (at least subjectively) equivalent
>to color perception.  Pitch memory is a better description, IMO.

That is the exact description I use as well.

>1.  Color/pitch names are arbitrary and remembered by association.

Agreed.

>2.  What would you say to someone who bragged. "My son has perfect color!"

I've actually heard a variation on that theme. Her son was an artist and had
remarkable colour sense. The subject came up in a discussion about pitch
memory versus colour memory.

>3.  Like color names, pitch names can be learned by association by almost
>    anyone.  In my case, as a child I "pictured" in my head the duller

This is one of the reasons children should always have the best piano
possible on which to learn. When a parent remarks on their children's
comments that their piano "doesn't sound like their teacher's" it emphasizes
how good their memories really are!

>4.  No one would admit that a child couldn't remember the names of colors:
>    In our society, knowing color names is a requirement of proof of

Knowing the colour names is important, but there are many people who are
"colour blind" and simply cannot see certain colours in their correct
wavelength just as some people suffer from hearing loss in certain frequency
ranges.

>5.  One more thought: saying "My daughter's hearing is so sensitive she
>    breaks out in hives if a piano is even slightly out of tune!"
>    I feel that, in this regard we tolerate what we become used to:
>    If you substitute  "if a red is even slightly off color" in the quote
>    above, absurdity rules!

Actually, I'd accept that. I know for myself there are certain shades or red
which turn me off just as there are some that turn me on.

There is a deep psychological test called the "Luscher Color Test" in which
the subject selects a series of about 70 colour cards in their order of
preference and the operator applies a formula (and perhaps some intuition)
to the order of selection to determine certain physical and psychological
problem areas. While some people consider it to be the equivalent of tarot
cards or palm-reading, it has a certain amount of validity as any colour
consultant could tell you.

I'd like to see a few comments about "tone deafness" since in a way that may
be related to the subject of perfect pitch. Is it merely the *lack* of
training in tone recognition or does it go deeper into "rhythm deafness" as
well. Could it be that some people are just lacking that part of the brain
which distinguishes music from noise or is it merely a lack of education?

Happy Holidays everyone!

                        John
John Musselwhite, RPT               Calgary, Alberta Canada
musselj@cadvision.com                  Season's Greetings!