Perfect Pitch...Matthew

[Brian Trout]

Hi Matthew,

I tend to agree with you on this one.  It's not always an advantage.

I cannot play a piano that is more than a half step away from the typical
A-440.  I'm one of those people who gets confused because I'm not hearing
what my mind says I'm playing.

Although I don't play nearly as much as I used to, I never did find any
particular key intimidating.  Not only do I play in the typical C, F, & G...
I also really enjoy playing in F#, C#, & B.   (One of my personal favorites
in F# is an arrangement of Silent Night, which I'm allowed to play right
now.  People don't take too kindly to hearing it in July...)

I do not have the sensitivity that some claim to have.  I could probably hit
it within about 10 cents most of the time, perhaps a little better, perhaps
not.  It's more relative in my mind, as opposed to any level of perfection.

Where it is useful to me, is when doing such things as chipping, I don't
need to bother pulling out a tuning fork, or fooling around with a
temperament.  It's not great tuning, but it doesn't have to be on the first
couple of chippings.  It's also helpful to just "run my fingers over the
keyboard" before I start into a tuning.  It can give me a really close
evaluation of where it is long before I even open up my tool box.

I know of tuners much more sensitive than me.   I also know of tuners who
have almost no level of pitch recognition (who are pretty good tuners, by
the way.)  I don't look at it as being much of a plus or a minus.  There are
good points either way, depending upon your viewpoint.

I'll be curious over the next 20 years or so of tuning to find out if my
pitch memory becomes more accurate.  Time will tell.  :-)

Best wishes,

Brian Trout
Quarryville, PA
btrout@desupernet.net


----- Original Message -----
From: Matthew Todd <mtodd@pianotech88.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 14, 1999 6:55 PM
Subject: Perfect Pitch


> Perfect pitch has a big disadvantage.  When a piano is a whole tone flat
> or sharp, the person with perfect pitch can become very confused, as it
> won't seem he is playing the right notes.  I have met people who have
> had this happen.  They transpose up or down, and get all  mixed up.
>
>
> Matthew
>