Perfect Pitch / Absolute Pitch

foolish.mom

Many years ago, I thought that all kids who started learning musical instrument at an early age could have absolute pitch. Some years ago, I had some aural classes for some children who all learnt piano. I discovered that less than 1/4 had absolute pitch.

According to the difinition, absolute pitch is inborn. However, if a child doesn't learn music at an early age, this ability (gift) will disappear.

Musicians who have absolute pitch have many advantages. Aural test is a piece of cake for them. Good for learning string instruments also.

foolish.mom

ANC,
I remember that some researchers said perfect pitch is in-born. If this is correct, it cannot be trained. However, we still know little about human brain. I cannot say that ears (aural ability) cannot be trained.
Firstly, do you know how your kid thinks of music?
1. by CDEFGAB, or 2. drmfslt
e.g. when thinking of how to play a E major: by method 1, it becomes E F# G# A B C# D# E, by method 2, it is drmfsltd
A person with perfect pitch will always use method 1. Go and check with your kid.

foolish.mom

THRY,
Try this: You play an internal on the piano (2 notes together) and ask your son to tell you the letter names of the 2 notes. If he is correct, he is absolute pitch and can distinguish at least 2 notes together (my son can name 3 to 4 notes played together, no matter they are in the same chord or unrelated).
Then, problems on playing double notes on violin are just because of not enough practice. My boy had the same problem before. Boys tend to skip or run roughly over the piece of music even when they know the sound is not quite correct, because it is difficult for them.
My boy's problem is lessened now, after a few months and practising more related studies and etudes. As far as I know, possessing absolute pitch ability has no disadvantage in music. My boy's piano teacher admires my boy very much because he has this ability.

原帖由 THRY 於 08-10-15 12:50 發表
My son is learning Piano and Violin, but terrible on the articulation of Piano pieces because he never go through it carefully.   For Violin, he almost have problem in double pitch, I don't know wheth ...

foolish.mom

THRY,
One more point: Maybe the teacher tried to tell your son that the double notes are not in harmony when he played them wrong and your son cannot tell the difference.
People without absolute pitch will judge the pitch (correct or not) by relative to something else, like the key note, and rely on harmony.
People with absolute pitch judge the pitch by its absolute sound (that's why the term absolute).
Their processes inside their brains are different.

原帖由 THRY 於 08-10-15 12:50 發表
My son is learning Piano and Violin, but terrible on the articulation of Piano pieces because he never go through it carefully.   For Violin, he almost have problem in double pitch, I don't know wheth ...