Klarinet Archive - Posting 000387.txt from 1997/01

From: Jonathan Cohler <cohler@-----.NET>
Subj: Re: Pitch recognition A or Bb
Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 16:44:53 -0500

>Is it really possible to train yourself to have perfect pitch? Has
>anyone done it? How do you go about it?
>
>Ian Dilley
>
>>

Sure. Everyone who has perfect pitch has done it.

Some people learn it at a very young age when everything is easier to
learn, but nonetheless one can still learn it at any time.

Start by practicing to memorize one pitch. Do this by associating it with
an instrument that you play, a piece that you know really well and have
listened to many times, or a feeling in your voice when you sing the note.

Just like memorizing anything, it is easier to memorize pitch when you have
multiple associations for the memory, i.e. multiple access paths in the
brain.

Visual, aural, physical feel etc....

Once you have one note memorized well, so that you can sing it at will.
Start on another pitch. And go from there.

By the way, there are even some people selling systems for developing
perfect pitch. I forget where I saw those ads, but they do exist.

In any case, it all stems from what I have mentioned above.

------------------
Jonathan Cohler
cohler@-----.net