KVR Audio

akstylish · Post by **akstylish** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:06 am

I'm getting confused because some people say yes and others say no. I need a definite answer!

jupiter8 · Post by **jupiter8** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:25 am

Shamanix · Post by **Shamanix** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:41 am

Well I can tell you pitch perception does get better the more time you spend making music/sounds. When I started C and C# almost sounded the same to me, I didn't even know when they played chords or single notes, yada, yada, I didn't even know what 4/4 meant

A few years later I was experimenting with alternate tunings (arabic, indian, etc), knew more chords then a punk musician (enough for me since I prefer mostly modal music), and I could recognize them, and needless to say I learned what 4/4 means and experimented with other time signatures and learned to love groove templates. Ok the last one is not really about pitch but who cares. The point is given enough time I think it's possible. And even if I'm wrong a lot of people make awesome music, yet don't have perfect pitch.

bluedad · Post by **bluedad** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:46 am

akstylish wrote:I'm getting confused because some people say yes and others say no. I need a definite answer!

I think it's possible to learn.
Not for everyone to learn, but certainly some can.

Baxter · Post by **Baxter** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:53 am

akstylish:

Just out of curiosity, is it important for you to have absolute pitch? If so, why? Most people get along fine without it.

Baxter

someone called simon · Fri Jul 17, 2009 1:24 am

relative pitch is probably easier to obtain, and far more useful.

akstylish · Post by **akstylish** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:15 am

Baxter wrote:akstylish:

Just out of curiosity, is it important for you to have absolute pitch? If so, why? Most people get along fine without it.

Baxter

I'd like to make a remix of a song that I can't find sheet music for.

Meffy · Post by **Meffy** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:32 am

bluedad wrote:
akstylish wrote:I'm getting confused because some people say yes and others say no. I need a definite answer!
I think it's possible to learn.
Not for everyone to learn, but certainly some can.

It might be worth mentioning that (unless I'm very much mistaken) perception of musical pitches is critical to bluedad's work -- he's a professional piano tuner. I consider his word on such matters very reliable.

debra1rlo · Post by **debra1rlo** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:34 am

jupiter8 wrote:

I'm not sure if they could have picked a much creepier picture than that one.

MaxSynths · Post by **MaxSynths** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:24 am

Yes it's possible. I don't know if somebody else had a similar experience, anyway... I can't play anymore Mozart K331 using the standard keyboard intonation: I'm bored, I recognize that "sound" (intonation) as something which I have listened to too much times. So I transpose my keyboard and everything seems fresh and new. I know it's not so evident, but what I'm trying to say is that your brain learn pitch and recognize it as a distinctive element just like expression values like "crescendo", "diminuendo" and so on. With practice and excerise you can reach absolute pitch. Anyway I think it's not so important.

buscemi · Post by **buscemi** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 4:34 am

I'd say it could be possible but it may be more fruitful to train yourself to have very strong relative pitch which should suffice. Probably won't go batty when things you listen to are ever-so-slightly off pitch like you might with perfect pitch. I'd guess it can be maddening.

james0tucson · Post by **james0tucson** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:47 am

akstylish wrote:I'm getting confused because some people say yes and others say no. I need a definite answer!

I can tune my guitar to within a few cents as long as I start with a "D". I know that I have learned this. However, I think it's a combination of pitch, vibration, perception of the tension of the string, and consistency in the way I put the string on. I can't sing with absolute pitch *at all*, and I have a very hard time guessing what key a song is in (although, probably for a combination of reasons also, I can easily tell a guitar tuned in open "D", or basic chords in first position on a guitar, mostly.)

On the other hand, if I can see a piano being played, I can easily identify key, chords, scales, etc.

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:58 am

bluedad wrote:
akstylish wrote:I'm getting confused because some people say yes and others say no. I need a definite answer!
I think it's possible to learn.
Not for everyone to learn, but certainly some can.

BING BING!

That answers the question for sure

james0tucson · Post by **james0tucson** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:20 am

buscemi wrote:I'd say it could be possible but it may be more fruitful to train yourself to have very strong relative pitch which should suffice.

I would much rather be able to identify intervals, modes, enharmonics, and also complex (and not-so-complex) rhythms. I have all kinds of tools to help me identify pitch, but the other (far more important, IMHO) things, not so much.

If only I could hear a chord progression and identify it in relative terms, or hear a melody or solo and name the intervals in it, or map it to modal characteristics as I hear it, I'd believe I was a complete musician.

There are guitar solos and simple chord progressions I've spent decades trying to figure out by ear.

I realize these are considered common skills and that there are many conservatories where you do not even pass the audition if you cannot transcribe a four-part orchestral or choral work. I don't have that skill *at all* except maybe in the most elementary situations. There was a time when I could apply basic harmony rules and get a reasonable stab at a chorale, if given one of the parts and a lot of time. I did pass all my theory courses, after all. But the ability to comprehend harmony, in general, eludes me.

I can *play along* mind you. I can jam with anyone, in any style, in any key, on several instruments, competently. But I can rarely describe in words or with a pencil on staff paper, what I'm *doing*. I think this, more than anything else, has limited me as a musician.

I seriously envy people who find it easy to hear a song and say "E, E7, E7sus4, F#m, A..." or who can hear a guitar solo and say "That's alternating between Gminor and Gmixolydian". Or whatever. I just find myself unable to do that, and I wish I could.

hibidy · Post by **hibidy** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 6:32 am

Sounds like you do pretty well though.

As far as "perfect pitch" is concerned, I used to be able to do it with bass actually really well. I played in ALLOT of s....t kickin' country bands and it was NOTHING to go out and learn new songs in the parking lot during breaks. Almost never actually practice.......we knew the chords, changes, etc.

That's what I'd do, chart it out/NNS based on my ears

Couldn't do that now for crap

Absolute pitch - possible to be learned?