<HTML><HEAD><TITLE>absolute pitch</TITLE> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=windows-1252"> <STYLE type=text/css></STYLE> </HEAD> <BODY style="BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"> <P>I knew a music prof and cellist who was challenged to do the following:</P> <P>Play a three octave minor scale--harmonic ascending, melodic descending--two different ways: First in pure (just) intonation as though playing in a string ensemble; then in a tempered intonation, as though playing with a piano accompianment.</P> <P>Measured electronically (spectrum analyzer, I guess) he was dead on. Spoooooky.<BR><BR>Alan Barnard<BR>Salem, MO<BR>Joshua 24:15<BR><BR><BR><BR></P> <DIV style="PADDING-RIGHT: 5px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 3px solid; PADDING-TOP: 5px"> <HR> Original message<BR>From: "Jon Page" <JONPAGE@COMCAST.NET><BR>To: pianotech@ptg.org<BR>Received: 01/26/2007 10:02:19 AM<BR>Subject: absolute pitch<BR><BR> <DIV align=left>>...<FONT face=Arial color=#000000> absolute pitch</FONT>...perfect pitch...</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Misnomers. Ego boosters. Pitch Recognition is a more appropriate term.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>But add to that, what pitch center (A = 440, 442, 444?)and what temperament.</DIV> <DIV>String players will want to know <ascending pitch> or <descending pitch>.</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>Some people have a more acute sense of hearing than others.  Light waves</DIV> <DIV>are frequencies too. Because I can recognize a color...does that mean I have</DIV> <DIV>absolute or perfect sight?</DIV> <DIV><BR></DIV> <DIV>I've read that some people are extra sensitive to certain frequencies or also</DIV> <DIV>can have a drop off of perception at certain frequencies.  For me, G# and D</DIV> <DIV>are less easy to hear.</DIV><X-SIGSEP><PRE>-- </PRE></X-SIGSEP> <DIV><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Jon Page</DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>