Perfect pitch

[Gordon Wilson]

A little more about "Perfect pitch" from my prespective.

First of all when I'm on-line here I'm tired manic and rushed.  As Don
Manino says "the usual disclaimers apply".

I genuinely respect the striving for accuracy that generally appears on
this list.  However, I could go on all night about how I feel that many
of the cherished assumptions about music and how it is learned are either
flawed or false.

Formal piano lessons:  forgive me if I lapse into another analogy with
art, but here goes...At least from my experience creativity is not only
not taught but discouraged in much of formal piano teaching.  What
graphic arts student could be expected to spend a lifetime copying
"masterpieces" guided by some "expert" opinion?  Just one thought at a
time tonight: I'm trying to be understood.

A little bacground about me will probably damage my credibility with many:
I am actively involved in practically everything involving music and/or
computers.  While this gives me a unique perspective (Get a load of this
guy, trying to be a late 20th century Renaissance man!) I don't have the
luxury of being the foremost expert in any specialty.  But my temperament
needs the variety and the challenge to try to make sense of the world.
Oh, I should add that I do all this as the sole proprietor of a small
business.  (Remember Mr. Haney?)

Read Marshall McLuhan's "The Gutenberg Galaxy".  Also "Drawing on the
Right Side of the Brain". (I've forgotten the author).

Color hearing is David Burge's term. I couldn't find him in the Internet
last night.  As I understand it, our symbol oriented society seperates
the senses when they should be integrated, even blended into an intuitive
awareness. (McLuhan)

It is very possible, even likely that the creative skills are intuited
first and later labeled.  e.g. "That's an `a'".  The skill may be there
but the symbol is arbitrary and must be learned.

My own experience:  I grew up the youngest (by seven years to the next
sibling) of four children who all had piano lessons by our mother. So I
lived and breathed music before any formal education.  At the age of 5 I
sat down at the piano and picked out (this was in 1944) "Sentimental
Journey" in thirds with one finger of each hand.  I did it this way
because it didn't sound right with just one note at a time.  When this
was discovered it was time to put me through hell in lessons with my mother.
Needless to say in those days from then on I was forced to do any
improvisation ("stop fooling around and do your practicing") on the sly,
but I persisted.  This is a brief capsule of the animal I have become.
I will elaborate more later.  At this point let's just say I play the
piano despite years of lessons.  (Another pretty good book!)

Perfect pitch?  Like Ragu "it's in there!"

Gordon Wilson
Urbana, Illinois