[pianotech] 440/442?

[Richard Brekne]

Hi David

    Richard:
     From my experience the ones who go on about their "perfect pitch"
    aren't the ones you're looking for.  It's the real musicians - and
    not many of them - but they're out there.
    dp

I would most certainly like to find someone who could truly pass the 
various <<acid tests>> out there. Tests designed to truly isolate an 
individuals pitch sensitivity from any influences that give some or 
another form of immediate or near immediate reference.  There have been 
a very few such tests published through the years, where folks have been 
asked to simply sing various notes at differing base pitch, or turn a 
dial on a sign wave generator to various pitches.  When they are asked 
to go randomly from note to note.... they get seriously out of sync. 
Certain notes seem to be more frequently more off then others... which 
has always made me think in the direction of some temperament 
influence.... but I have never found a study that was thorough enough to 
even air that idea.

Nearly all PP tests are simple <<can you identify a given note as what 
it is or not>> and not designed to really dig into just how accurate 
people can get and why ?  Which is actually pretty amazing when you come 
to think about how much the subject matter is discussed, how 
controversial such discussions can be, and how potentially appealing to 
some researchers funding requests the subject matter is.

In anycase... its one of many things I would love to pursue further 
myself but simply don't have enough time for.  Astronomy has become my 
second pastime now.... I do my job and enjoy it to be sure, and keep 
developing along more concentrated lines then before, but I find a 
growing need to explore completely different areas of interest.... and 
for some oddball reason life's weird paths has moved me in the direction 
of astronomy....  Its an amazing field.... and for what its worth every 
bit as subject to personalities clashing, head-banging, oddball 
tangents, personal politics of all kinds for better or for worse as our 
field.  Hubble for example..... boy did he have some ...er... friends :)

If someone comes up with a study that shows the kinds of accuracies in 
PP claimed by some here... please send it along to me. I'd love to read it.

Cheers
RicB