Author: William
Date: 2004-06-03 14:55
"Perfect pitch" is simply accurate pitch memory, the minds ability to remember what any note sounds like. Very much like being able to remember a name no matter how long since you have seen that person.
"Relative pitch" is a persons ability to "hear" intervals--that is, one note relative to another--accurately. A person with this talent can look at a written chord or score and hear its sound, but not necessarily in the correct pitch (thus, not perfect pitch).
"Just tuning" is the note relationship that exists naturally in "nature". The harmonic series that always sounds above any fundamental resonates in set intervals that give the tone of any instrument its characteristic tambre. Since the harmonics which sound above the fundamental are not "in tune" with other notes in other keys, it is necessary to "temper" those notes in order to achieve a workable compromise when tuning a piano. And the result is called, "Tempered tuning".
"Tempered tuning". If you listen closely to the piano technician the next time your piano needs a tune up, you will notice that they never tune the fifth as a perfect--"just"--interval, with no "beats" sounding, but rather tempers the fifth so that there is a slight beat noticiable, about two beats per second. As an example in tuning the interval between C and G, if they did not temper the G and when on to tune the next fifth as a perfect interval D, that D would be out of tun with Ds in any other key, Bb for example. That is why even Bachs "Well Tempered Clavier" is hopelessly out of tune with the natural harmonic series in nature. A "Just Tempered Clavier" would sound terribly out of tune to our "tempered" ears.
And all of this is why one of my good clarinetist friends always says, "good tuning is really good cooperation between players". For harmony among all, when playing, it is best to maintain good (interpersonal) temperment.
(Isn't playing in tune with the brass fun--or what)
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The Clarinet BBoard
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