[daviddoria]

Swampcabbage recommended a book "Perfect Pitch for You" by Alla Elana Cohen. Is this kind of a standard text? Or has anyone else had great luck with it? Are there any other recommendations?

I've sat at a piano for hours trying to name random notes and intervals and can kind of get close after a while, but if I stop for 5 minutes i lose "calibration" and have to starta all over. So clearly this is not the right technique

Thanks,

David

 

[Swampcabbage]

The book is recently published and probably hasn't had a lot of readers. The method that Alla uses is a visualization of "shapes" that each pitch carries in all octaves. It is quite remarkable. When I was taking her class I took her diagrams to another teacher who said they had seen similar charts from those who already had perfect pitch.

If you start with just a few notes and then start adding notes it is a bit easier.

 

[maestroelite]

There's a site called good-ear.com that has a pretty decent ear training program available for free, I don't know if this is what you're looking for though.

 

[daviddoria]

Not really, thanks though. I've seen things like that before... but I would like some kind of explanation of some method to learn it, because I claim to have beat to death that method with no success!! haha

 

[BYOB]

Is it really possible to learn perfect pitch?

I was born with perfect pitch - it's a hard thing to explain. It feels as if a note thats played is a 'word', if that makes any sense. I don't think of the notes in terms of actual musical notation (i.e. C, C sharp, F, etc). I think of them as words, as colors. Each note has a different 'feel' to it.

I don't think it's possible to 'learn' perfect pitch, but rather to develop a good sense of relative pitch. Practice your intervals .

Edit: After re-reading your first post, I can understand how you can see them in terms of shapes. Such as C being more circular...etc etc

 

[daviddoria]

Have there been any studies on if it is possible to learn? There should be one if there hasn't been already. In the past I've only heard people say "I dont think" or "I think", but surely there is some psychologist that has cared about this ? haha

 

[Lorentz]

Yes, I believe there are some studies about it. Try the search button of this forum. I remember i have read some of those through this forum.

Good Luck!

 

[father amos]

A coupla questions, please

Is it really possible to learn perfect pitch?

I was born with perfect pitch - it's a hard thing to explain. It feels as if a note thats played is a 'word', if that makes any sense. I don't think of the notes in terms of actual musical notation (i.e. C, C sharp, F, etc). I think of them as words, as colors. Each note has a different 'feel' to it.

Yes, I've heard folks with perfect pitch say to them it's as easy as recognizing different faces, I have a question for you though, if you don't mind. does Middle C have the same "feel" as the c an octave above or below, or is it a completely different "face" or "word"? Do they have similarities in color?
One other question (sorry) What impression do you form of notes "out of tune"? like a green with too much yellow? and do they annoy you? Thanx, father amos

 

[BYOB]

Oh no problem.

For me, middle C feels 'right', if that makes any sense. As you progressively move your way up the octaves, it's as if the notes sound more 'attacking'. They feel 'sharper' than middle C, while still in tune. Moving down from middle C, each note progressively feels warmer to me.

I wouldn't say they're quite similar. Whether the pitch is an octave higher or lower, they feel completely different from each other.

When a note's out of tune, I think it could be compared with a dirty color - each note of the scale is a 'pure' color. I tend to think of C as red. But if its out of tune, it's like that C has a bit of black added to it - it just feels wrong.

It's really painful listening to notes that are out of pitch.

And no problem - your questions got me thinking .

 

[BlueTone]

The Curse

Is it really possible to learn perfect pitch?

I was born with perfect pitch - it's a hard thing to explain. It feels as if a note thats played is a 'word', if that makes any sense. I don't think of the notes in terms of actual musical notation (i.e. C, C sharp, F, etc). I think of them as words, as colors. Each note has a different 'feel' to it.

I don't think it's possible to 'learn' perfect pitch, but rather to develop a good sense of relative pitch. Practice your intervals .

Edit: After re-reading your first post, I can understand how you can see them in terms of shapes. Such as C being more circular...etc etc

I was Cursed with PP also.
Yep, I agree on the "Feel" thing...I wonder if that's why people say that certain songs sound better in a specific key.
I do wonder if PP can be learn...Umm...not sure either way.

 

[Swampcabbage]

Edit: After re-reading your first post, I can understand how you can see them in terms of shapes. Such as C being more circular...etc etc

C - For instance, kind of rises in a loop fashion but instead of continuing the circle it goes downward and sustains that descent. C# does this as well but in more of a spiral.

F and B are probably 2 of the most easily identifiable pitches. F is like a smack on a table very dead with no sustain to it. B is almost identical but opposite, moving straight upward immediately.

She uses a piano in her classes which really brings ou the acoustic qualities.

These are just a couple of examples that are used and, in my experience, work.