absolute pitch

[Mark Schecter]

One thing I've run into a couple times is that age affects pitch 
perception. The cochlea shrinks with age, and the same pitch sounds 
higher as you get older. The degree of this shift varies, I'm sure. But 
I have a couple customers who are dismayed as the realize their once 
highly accurate pitch recognition gradually slips away.

I agree with Jon that it is perfectly analogous to color recognition. It 
seems that there is a developmental stage in the first few years of life 
when one is most able to activate this faculty. If everyone received 
appropriate stimulus, many more would develop and have useful pitch 
recognition. As it is, though, most people never learn that C sounds 
like C. This is one argument for keeping pianos at standard pitch. Not 
very helpful to show a kid orange and call it red.

-Mark Schecter

Gregor _ wrote:
> I have a customer with an absolute pitch. She called me for a tuning and 
> complained about one key (E6) which sounded for her more like the F6. 
> When she told me that, I had no idea about her absolute pitch. I tuned 
> the piano and she still complained about that E6. I wondered what she 
> meant: how can an E sound like F? I checked the temperament again and 
> the octaves, fourths and fiths as well. Everything perfect. Then she 
> told me about her absolute pitch. Aha! I tuned the E for her as she told 
> me (too flat, to sharp, oh no, now it´s correct......). The result were 
> inacceptable intervals! I told her that and tuned like I felt it´s o.k.
> 
> Seems that even an absolute pitch has fluctuations. I always wondered if 
> an absolute pitch can differentiate between 440 and 439 Hz and if it´s 
> related to mood, weather or so.
> 
> Gregor
> 
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