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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'>Thanks. I will forward it to the list. </span></font></p>
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10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'> </span></font></p>
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<p><font size=2 color=navy face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
color:navy'>David</span></font><font size=2 color=navy><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'> Love</span></font><font size=2
color=navy><span style='font-size:10.0pt;color:navy'><br>
davidlovepianos@comcast.net<br>
www.davidlovepianos.com</span></font><font color=navy><span style='color:navy'>
</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>-----Original Message-----<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>From:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>David</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'> G.
Hughes</span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Tahoma'>, RPT</span></font><font size=2 face=Tahoma><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>
[mailto:davidghughesrpt@comcast.net] <br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Sent:</span></b> Wednesday, July 02, 2008
9:20 AM<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>To:</span></b> </span></font><font size=2
face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'>Pianotech List</span></font><font
size=2 face=Tahoma><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Tahoma'><br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Cc:</span></b> davidlovepianos@comcast.net<br>
<b><span style='font-weight:bold'>Subject:</span></b> Re: perfect pitch
defined/Hughes Reply</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><strong><b><font size=3 color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>David
Love,</span></font></b></strong></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><strong><b><font size=3 color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>
I LOVE you for composing and posting this. I have always cringed upon hearing
the term "perfect pitch".</span></font></b></strong></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><strong><b><font size=3 color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>
Your definitions and explanations are </span></font></b></strong><em><b><i><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red;font-weight:bold'>perfect</span></font></i></b></em><strong><b><font
color=red face=Arial><span style='font-family:Arial;color:red'>. Permit me one
suggestion to the entire musical community: we drop the term perfect pitch and
substitute it with "pitch (or note) recognition". This is, after all,
what we're talking about. There never has nor will there ever be anything perfect
about musical pitch.</span></font></b></strong></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><strong><b><font size=3 color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>
I don't know how to post messages to the PTG list. If you could do so for me
with this response I'd be most appreciative.</span></font></b></strong></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><strong><b><font size=3 color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>
Many thanks.</span></font></b></strong></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><strong><b><font size=3 color=red
face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:red'>
Dave Hughes, RPT </span></font></b></strong></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>----- Original Message ----- </span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>From: "David Love" <</span></font><a
href="mailto:davidlovepianos@comcast.net"><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>davidlovepianos@comcast.net</span></font></a><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>To: "'Pianotech List'"
<</span></font><a href="mailto:pianotech@ptg.org"><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>pianotech@ptg.org</span></font></a><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>></span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Sent: Wednesday, July 02, 2008 11:43
AM</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>Subject: RE: perfect pitch defined</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:.5in'><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>> This whole thing of relative
versus perfect pitch is getting a bit<br>
> convoluted. Now we even have some using the term "relative
perfect pitch"<br>
> (a bit of an oxymoron). As someone pointed out, perfect pitch simply
refers<br>
> to pitch memory, like the ability to identify a color, one who possesses<br>
> "perfect" or "absolute" pitch can identify a pitch
when heard in isolation.<br>
> There appears to be a strong genetic component for this ability but it
seems<br>
> to also have a critical period for development (like certain language<br>
> skills). Claims that you can teach yourself "perfect
pitch" are bogus. The<br>
> accuracy of so called perfect pitch is another matter. A person who
has<br>
> this ability generally can't identify or hear the difference between A440<br>
> and A339 or A442 for that matter. They simply hear the three notes
as an A.<br>
> Those who are musicians (and not all those who possess this ability are)<br>
> might very well have a strong sense of flat or sharp based on their own<br>
> intimate sense of their instrument. Many violinists, for example,
can hear<br>
> differences within their own instrument if it is tuned slightly sharp or<br>
> slightly flat. One assumes that the subtle difference in the quality
of<br>
> sound at different tension levels accounts for that. Woodwind
players can<br>
> often hear the difference as well and in both cases having perfect pitch<br>
> doesn't seem to be a prerequisite. I doubt whether they could tell
you<br>
> exact cents deviations. Pianists, in my experience<font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'>,</span></font> don't experience<br>
> differences in tuning the same way. There is an ongoing study
at UCSF<br>
> (University of California San Francisco Medical School) on this very
subject<br>
> (perfect pitch, absolute pitch, pitch memory--however you choose to call
it)<br>
> with extensive testing done on these individuals who have it and who claim<br>
> to have it. I know the scientist in charge of the study and have had
many<br>
> lengthy conversations about her findings. It's really quite
interesting<br>
> should anyone wish to look into it. I don't know how much of the
study is<br>
> actually published.<br>
> <br>
> Relative pitch, on the other hand, is a learned skill and refers to the<br>
> ability to identify any particular note after being given a reference
note.<br>
> Most well trained musicians have relative pitch, or should. <br>
> <br>
> The term "relative perfect pitch" makes no sense in this
context. <br>
> <br>
> David Love<br>
> </span></font><a href="mailto:davidlovepianos@comcast.net"><font size=2
face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>davidlovepianos@comcast.net</span></font></a><br>
<font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>> </span></font><a
href="http://www.davidlovepianos.com"><font size=2 face=Arial><span
style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'>www.davidlovepianos.com</span></font></a><font
size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial'> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
> <br>
></span></font></p>
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