Perfect Pitch, ET vs. WT, tone color

[Gregory Torres]

Dear Glenn & List:

First and foremost I am a pianist & musician. And a piano technician.
I happen to have "perfect pitch", which actually is not a very good
description because "perfect pitch" should really be called "pitch memory".
It was discovered that I had it when I was 7 yrs old.

It is both a blessing and a curse to have perfect pitch.
It is mostly a blessing however.

I come within a couple of cents plus or minus when tested and most times
right on. It is a great thing to have especially when doing chipping, pitch
raises, and determining on the phone if the customers piano is going to need
a pitch raise or not. Gives them a chance to prepare for it.

As to tone "color", I don't think that is a good way to describe it at all.
Either you hear the pitch or you don't. I don't have any other analagy to
compare...I guess maybe like a photographic memory for pitch?

I believe that one can develope a good sense of pitch and even a "relative
pitch" but I have not met anyone or have heard of anyone actually learning
and developing perfect pitch.

As to hard work and practicing scales, arpeggios, theory and excercises...I
did not "slack"-I have done my share....

Warm Regards,
Greg Torres

----Original Message-----
From: Glenn <rockymtn@sprynet.com>
To: pianotech@ptg.org <pianotech@ptg.org>
Date: Saturday, December 06, 1997 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: Perfect Pitch, ET vs. WT, tone color


Glenn Writes (snipped)
>
>As for what benefit perfect pitch can give a tuner . . . I say none.  I
>would be willing to bet that a random note set to a person with perfect
>pitch would still be at least a few cents off where it should be, ET
>notwithstanding.
>
>I even wonder what it can do for a player if you have to go through a great
>deal of trouble to "learn" it.  Just put the time into learning the scales
>and sight reading (I should talk!  Everything I play is from memorizing
>fingering!  Drives me nuts!).
>
>Glenn.
>
>
>
>