SpeedStar
Perfect/Absolute Pitch is the ability to instantly tell exactly what note or chord someone is playing by ear.
Do you have it?
Best way to train it?
I'm trying to figure out a way to practice this.
Shot guys and girls!
Wizard
In my opinion you don't need it.
Music is based on relative pitch.
The guys that count argued for ages about what frequency standard A should be ... and eventually settled on 440.
Even in an orchestra they just tune to the same A ... even if its not exact.
cain
Sho i dunno, i dont know if i would go that far ever. But i would like to hear something and instantly be able to pick up my guitar and play it .... Makes session / jamming with people so much easier ....
What im saying, i also wanna know please ?
AlanRatcliffe
When I were nowt burra lad, rumour had it that perfect pitch was a gift and couldn't be learned. Since then, now that I am firmly in the land of the long trousered types, I've seen guys advertise courses that claim to teach it, but I have no idea if they work or not.
From the few people I've known who had perfect pitch, I'd say it was more a curse than a gift, as these people are usually irritated immensely by anything that's not perfectly in tune/intonated - and they are never guitarists.
Relative pitch is, however, a skill well worth learning. I'm not sure of how one would learn it. I guess that you teach yourself the different sound of each interval in each key (which are all slightly different), until you can pick out chords by listening to the intervals they contain.
Wizard
One of my best friends at university was studying a music degree while I was indulging in my sciences.
I would occassionally sneak in and practice violin in the rooms at the music school.
He would keep me up to date with the stuff they were taught.
They had extensive drills in learning relative pitch.
Achieved simply by playing two notes on a piano and learning what interval it represented.
i.e. perfect fifth; major 3rd etc ...
DonovanB
Alan Ratcliffe wrote
Relative pitch is, however, a skill well worth learning. I'm not sure of how one would learn it. I guess that you teach yourself the different sound of each interval in each key (which are all slightly different), until you can pick out chords by listening to the intervals they contain.
you could practice and practice...
http://www.ossmann.com/bigears/
SpeedStar
I'd like to try one of the courses, but I don't have R1000 to blow on it, so I'm trying it my own way.
I'll close my eyes and play a note on my guitar, then using my "anchor" scale in my head Cmaj, I'll try and hit the right note.
More often than not I'm spot on, so I'm using a form of relative pitch by playing the "clue note" in my head. Same training for chords.
The difference between that and absolute pitch is I think the time taken. This will take me a few seconds, where absolute is almost instant.
With enough practice I think I'll be able to shorten the time taken to hit the right note/chord until it will one day be almost instant and I won't need to play a "clue note" in my head.
Wizard, you might be right that we don't need it, but when it comes to musical techniques I'm like a spoilt kid in a toy store. "I see it, I want it."
chris77
I havent got it and Im not sure I want or need it. By playing a lot you develop a natural feel for what chords are to follow in a progression, even if you don't know the song and you're just jamming along with someone who does. You will also, eventually, start pickin up in which key a song is in and even how to change it to suit your own voice/style/technique/skill level etc. But it only comes with practice and time. So no magic secret I am afraid. When playing lead I ussually try and figure the key out first (if its not given to you) and then start playing the minor pentatonic on the relevant E-shape barchord. Once you're there you can fool around expanding or merging the scale and still sound in tune with the rest of the song, even if you stuff up. For songs in a major key, same process, but 3 frets lower than the corresponding barre chord. So basically if you cant learn it, fake it...
Wizard
SpeedStar wrote
Wizard, you might be right that we don't need it, but when it comes to musical techniques I'm like a spoilt kid in a toy store. "I see it, I want it."
How can I argue with the nobility of being hungry for knowledge and skills? ?
chris77
Hah! Ja its true. T'is but a fool that considers all lessons learnt... But like claptons tone, hendrix's hair or Kerry McGreggors affection, perfect pitch is one of those things I've made peace with never having and have learned to do without.
aja
