Perfect Pitch course

jwoods986 · #1 07-27-2004, 06:06 PM

Has anyone tried the Perfect Pitch course by David Burge? I remember seeing his ads in mags in the late 80s. But then I didn't play too much from about 92-02. Then, I got back into playing, picked up a Guitar World, and see his course is still around! I would really like to improve my ear and if he's been around for 23 years I'm thinking it's somewhat legit.

frankfalbo · #2 07-27-2004, 08:31 PM

I don't know about the course, but I have perfect pitch and I can tell you it's invaluable. If I somehow magically lost it, (I don't think you really can

...oh dear God please tell me you can't lose it!

) I would try anything in my power to regain it. From what I've seen the course is an association, like to different colors. My perfect pitch isn't coupled with a deep music theory knowledge, so his course has you identifying the actual notes within a chord by name. Like you hear an A major and you instantly say "AEAC#". Whereas I might have to think about where they are on the fretboard before I can call them all out. I wish I thought of notes as letters, but I play by ear a lot and I can't sight-read a staff. But I don't care if it only half works, I would spend whatever it costs! Actually I wonder if its on e-bay?

kennydoe · #3 07-27-2004, 10:21 PM

I've got it too (PP) and i was always skeptical about being able to 'acquire' it by David Burge's course.

Would his course be a whole lot more popular if it actually worked?

I suppose it couldn't hurt, right?
~K

frankfalbo · #4 07-27-2004, 11:47 PM

I don't know about acquiring it, although I know that my high school music theory teacher was tone deaf prior to going to college and came out with perfect pitch. He still was a crappy musician but he could hear the notes. So at least he learned it. I do know it is something you can be born with. My daughter just turned four and when she sings songs from TV or the radio station she's dead on pitch. I don't mean she's a great singer, or her singing pitch is perfect, (come on she's four) but her tonal center is right on. If a song is in C and she hasn't heard it for weeks she'll start singing it in C. So there's something in the brain that retains pitch, like a photographic memory. Some people retain other types of visuals. But even if you don't have a photographic memory, you can learn and train yourself to have better retention. But you've made it academic. So in that case, did it really have the benefit of someone who is born with it? I believe yes it does. I believe that PP even if learned, provides just as much benefit as if it's intrinsic.

kennydoe · #5 07-28-2004, 10:23 AM

Most of the research done concluded that PP is usually hereditary.

There are plenty of people who have really good relative pitch, but is it actually "perfect pitch"? probably not.

The real test, in my opinion, is being able to sing pitch on command, weithout any frame of reference at all. If say 'sing C' in the middle of a crowded room that has no 'music' playing and they can, it's PP....but obviously it would have to be a few times in a row, consistently right to rule out the 'luck' factor.

I know people that have it that consider it a boon - it sure makes playing with a capo or an Eb-tuned guitar unbelievably difficult. I wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China, but keep in mind that the grass is always greener

~K

whatshisname · #6 07-28-2004, 02:08 PM

One of my old singers bought his tapes, and he claimed that it worked. I don't believe that it did, though. Not for HIM anyway. He always had good relative pitch, but he couldn't tell you what note was being played, just from hearing it.

I have perfect pitch, but it's not an instant thing where I can just sit there and call out the notes as I hear them. I can tune my guitar by ear, though. My bass player tunes to my guitar, instead of using his tuner at practice, since he knows that I'm in tune already.

It's like I have little reference note in my head, to go off of.

[/i]

zEr0 · #7 07-28-2004, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatshisname

I have perfect pitch, but it's not an instant thing where I can just sit there and call out the notes as I hear them. I can tune my guitar by ear, though. My bass player tunes to my guitar, instead of using his tuner at practice, since he knows that I'm in tune already.

It's like I have little reference note in my head, to go off of.

[/i]

Well, I thougth that's exactly what PERFECT pitch was.... calling notes individually as you hear them without any kind of tonal focus. I think most of us can tune our guitars by ear mate.

If you need a reference note to tell another then it's not perfect pitch but relative.

Not that I think it really matters. Perfect pitch can be nice but relative pitch is way more important.

whatshisname · #8 07-28-2004, 03:31 PM

I'm not saying that I can't identify a note just by hearing it, just that it's not an instant thing all the time like seeing colors. Sometimes I have to think about it.

And, I didn't say I needed a reference note to tune by ear. Maybe I worded that the wrong way?... I was TRYING

to be clever.

What I meant was, that I can tune without a tuner, from start to finish, with only what I have in my HEAD to go off of, by being able to identify the pitch. From most folks I've seen, that's not a very common thing. Most people at least need to get one string in tune, by using a tuner, and then go off of that string to tune the rest.

Two hands31 · #9 07-28-2004, 03:46 PM

I can tell intervals by ear and I can tune a guitar to itself by playing pairs of open strings (like, strings that are next to each other, not high-E and low-E lol), but I've never tried naming notes by ear or humming notes by name.

kennydoe · #10 07-28-2004, 06:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by whatshisname

I have perfect pitch, but it's not an instant thing where I can just sit there and call out the notes as I hear them. I can tune my guitar by ear, though. My bass player tunes to my guitar, instead of using his tuner at practice, since he knows that I'm in tune already.

It's like I have little reference note in my head, to go off of.

[/i]

That's relative pitch. If you can't consistently produce a tone, its not PP

/snob mode off

whatshisname · #11 07-28-2004, 08:43 PM

I was told that I have it, but never looked any further into it. I won't say that I can consistently produce a tone, so you may very well be correct in saying that I don't have it.

It's not really that big a deal to me.

frankfalbo · #12 07-30-2004, 09:06 PM

From what I gather, lots of people who think they have PP have relative pitch. Really PP is like there's a well-tuned piano in your brain for reference, and you can play any key whenever you want, even when other sounds or music is being played around you. From a performance standpoint, there's usually little or no difference. I mean the only time you really need PP is for acapella singing, and even then in a "gig" environment you usually have a reference in your head from the previous song. I have PP but I'd say it only helps me when it comes to tuning the guitar, setting intonation on the fly, and ridiculing others.

As for it being a curse, I've learned to really be relaxed about it. The people I play with all know I have it so they defer to me for certain things. And lets be clear about one thing. If it aggravates you to no end when things are off key or slightly out of tune, don't blame it on the perfect pitch. That's a personality problem, and you need to deal with it. It's probably rooted in pride or arrogance.

Its much easier to chart songs with PP. Like I can just write the chords down as I'm listening to a song for the first time, unless it includes tough jazz chords that deviate from the key. Even then it's not that I can't hear it, its that I'm so out of touch with my theory knowledge that I have to think about what it is.

I'd say its most valuable for tuning the guitar from the standpoint of tempered tuning. For example I know I like the B pulled a little sharp, and sometimes on an acoustic where you're going to be droning the high E I pull it a little sharp too. Buzz Feiten or an Earvana nut would eliminate the need for tempered tuning, but I have too many guitars to think about that!

If you don't have relative pitch and this course can at least teach you that, it's totally worth it. But don't get arrogant! There's nothing worse than someone who's "off" and they think they're "on"

tonluvara · #13 07-31-2004, 03:58 AM

this reminds me of when i took piano lesson when i was young

i remember my teacher covered her playing hands n made us 'guess' what note it was.. she had to shout at everybody cos nobody could name the notes correctly.. lol.. everyone only did some wild guesses

up to this moment still cant do that at all.. hahaha.. the only thing i could do is hold a guitar while listening to a song.. and find out which chords the song used.. which is what most guitarists could do..

as for tuning by ears, i could do it, but i don't think it's because i have a perfect pitch.. basically i remember how the open strings sound.. but i wouldn't be able to make it exacly EADGBe .. like, probably all of them will be slightly sharp, or flat.. unless one of the strings is in perfect tune.. well, at least i could use my ear to tune it so that when i play an open chord, that particular chord won't go out of tune

Jeff · #14 07-31-2004, 05:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

I don't know about the course, but I have perfect pitch and I can tell you it's invaluable. If I somehow magically lost it, (I don't think you really can

...oh dear God please tell me you can't lose it!

) I would try anything in my power to regain it.

I think the greatest gift in music is creativity, not perfect pitch. Be glad you still have creativity. Perfect pitch is trivial.

Petie · #15 07-31-2004, 06:44 AM

I fall into the category of people who inherited it but don't really know about theory. If I hear something I can play it and I can sing songs in the correct key while away from an instrument or a recording of the song, but I can't really tell you the names of the notes without thinking of the fretboard.