NEWS: Perfect Pitch and Why You Can't Have It

Sorcha, I would quote you but I haven't aquired that skill yet.
I didn't play for several years and then I had to pick it up again to complete my major. It's so hard to get coordination back, (especially when you never had it in the first place, as was my case).
My parents 'rescued' one of our pianos from a church that was burning down. At least, that's what they told me. But now I am starting to question them, because a grand piano isn't one of those things that you can just hoist onto your hip and carry around.

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That's interesting...I have perfect pitch, but it must've been all those Mandarin Chinese classes I took as a kid. Seriously.

Curi.

I've got perfect pitch. Oh yeah.

That's pretty neat. My husband speaks mandarin, but I dunno if he can play that guitar in better tune than before he learned it... He still only ever seems to play classical gas, and badly.

Ignorance really is bliss. I've had muso mates who are exactly the same. It's bloody boring listen to them whinge about every singer I like. 'Ian McCollough is so out of tune!' 'Jim Morrison is so out of tune!' 'Nick Cave is so out of tune!'

Yes, but it's McCollough, Morrison and Cave. Arrrgh.

Why do americans need to know perfect pitch? We invented Rock'n'Roll!

Thanks!!

As someone who has perfect pitch and speaks Mandarin, I say, "Duh." Chinese isn't a phonic language as much as it is a pitch language.

Did I just use 'phonic' right, you (cunning) linguists out there? Maybe I didn't. When I try and native English speakers Chinese phrases, the musicians with good pitch pronounce them better. Most people can't get the inflections right. It's beyond even diatonic scales because sometimes the inflections are like a quarter step or less.

Anyway, you know what I mean. Blah.

QUOTE]
Ignorance really is bliss. I've had muso mates who are exactly the same. It's bloody boring listen to them whinge about every singer I like. 'Ian McCollough is so out of tune!' 'Jim Morrison is so out of tune!' 'Nick Cave is so out of tune!'

Yes, but it's McCollough, Morrison and Cave. Arrrgh.

If everyone sang in perfect pitch it would be boring. Thats what makes musical mutations happen. It's natural.