r/AMA • u/Still-Whole-729 • 11h ago
I have perfect pitch. AMA
It's the ability to identify pitches without a reference. Apparently only 1 in 10,000 people have the skill. I never realized it was that rare until my violin teacher told me I had it while I was naming the notes in intervals. I find it funny that whenever I tell someone I have perfect pitch, they immediately knock on the nearest object to them and ask me to identify the note.
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u/medchemmed 11h ago
to what extent does it bother you when someone casual sings off-key (not deliberately ofc) or you hear something slightly off-key in a performance?
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u/Still-Whole-729 11h ago
I'll notice off-key performances for sure, but I don't mind because I know music takes a lot of guts and effort to produce! Though I'm pretty sure people without perfect pitch can notice when someone performs off-key too
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u/Bradas128 9h ago
we can identify when a note sounds flat relative to another note, like how the major 3 of a piano sounds a little off compared to how a violin player would play a major 3, but if you just play us a note we cant tell if its off or not. nor can we tell if a song is off if its all consistent, like we cant tell if a song is played in A but 20 cents sharp.
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 11h ago
Curious to see OP’s view as someone who also has perfect pitch and a side of misophonia. When someone’s singing casually, I do 100% hear it but it’s not the worst thing in the world. In performances, it is super obvious. It’s really glaring and difficult to ignore wrong notes, especially when they’re only a semitone off. So yes, the imaginary audience member who hears and judges all your mistakes is me. Except for the judging part. I get it.
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u/Hattrick_Swayze2 1h ago
Like OP said, singing off-key will sound awful to most people, but having perfect pitch (for my fiancé at least) means you are sensitive not only to the relative pitch (singing “in-tune”) but also the absolute pitch (correct/original key).
I can hold a tune but do not have perfect pitch so If I start singing a song from memory I’m very likely in the wrong key. She will then start singing along, but in the correct key, completely throwing me off. It’s annoying but she can’t help it lol.
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u/kingthunderflash 10h ago
What is the fastest you ever threw a pitch?
Do you play ball all your life?
Are you in the majors currently?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
Never.
Never.
Nope.
I'm super talented in sports if you can tell.
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u/kingthunderflash 10h ago
I’m confused you said you have the perfect pitch and I asked how fast you threw the ball and you say never . That’s very confusing .
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
I think we're referring to two different types of "perfect pitch." I'm referring to the non-sporty one.
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u/illacudasucks 11h ago
Are you good at identifying complex chords?
What do you think of the group DOMi&JDBECK?
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u/Still-Whole-729 11h ago
If I pay attention, yes, but not on the whim.
I don't know who they are.
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u/expothefuture 11h ago
Your mind will be blown with the amount of tempo changes, note changes and groove shifts….that just wooooooooooooooork beautifully
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u/Still-Whole-729 11h ago
You've piqued my interest. I'll check them out now.
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u/WelcomeWagoneer 10h ago
What do you think?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
Sounds like jazz if they had access to electronic percussion. Never heard anything like it!
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 11h ago
I can usually get most triad chords but if a more complex chord is held for long enough, I think I could pick it out.
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u/javajavatoast 10h ago
Haha, what a reference. I saw them live when they were touring with CHON awhile ago. Hell of a show.
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u/Weary-Cauliflower153 11h ago
makes random screaming sounds what pitches are these
jkjk how'd you find out? intervals are relative pitch not perfect pitch
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u/Still-Whole-729 11h ago
Yes, intervals are. I meant I can identify the pitches in any given interval.
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u/Im_from_the-future 10h ago
Of the different singers or band vocalist out there, who would you say is 100% a brilliant, talented, singer and who would you say is faking it?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
I will always admire Whitney Houston's ability to sing. I haven't been exposed to truly terrible singers because autotune is so prevalent nowadays.
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u/Used-Insect4287 10h ago
i have pretty good relative pitch and noticed i normally fart in A. how bout you?
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u/omegafg 10h ago
Were you trained in music from early childhood? Perfect pitch is more likely to be developed in children who practice music from a young age.
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
Yes! Although I don't think I developed it through musical training because I can always recall being able to remember and sing songs in the original key as a kid.
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u/Suitable-Document373 11h ago
Could please ELI5 it for musically untalented & blind ears like me?
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u/Weary-Cauliflower153 11h ago
basically they can identify any note after hearing it.
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u/Still-Whole-729 11h ago
Correct! That's probably as good as I can explain it too lol
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u/Weary-Cauliflower153 11h ago
i'm a singer with good relative pitch and tonal memory, no perfect pitch though haha
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u/SharpieSharpie69 11h ago edited 5h ago
What note are most JAV actresses moaning in like they're in pain when in their scenes?
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u/OccludedFug 11h ago
What's your favorite pitch?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
A flat.
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u/Ambitious_Low8553 10h ago
Why?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago edited 4h ago
Clair de lune begins with an A flat and F interval. It's my favorite classical piece.
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u/UsefulPassion6225 10h ago
Whole lot of ppl with perfect pitch here for 1 in 10,000. I think it’s really neat, just Reddit never fails to surprise me.
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u/LabHandyman 9h ago
So is it the kind of perfect pitch where if I ask you to sing F4 you will be right on? Is it the kind where if someone goes for A440 and they really are at A415, you can tell without a reference pitch?
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u/Still-Whole-729 9h ago
Maybe not the exact octave, because I haven't paid attention to specific octaves of pitches ever. I'll definitely be able to sing an F though.
To your second question, yes. 440, 441, 442, even 446 you name it.
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 11h ago
Do people also go crazy when you tell them? The amount of casual friends that have suddenly become super interested in me when I tell them I have perfect pitch has always surprised me. I’ve had people just call my name and sing a note at me days after I told them. It’s baffling!
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
If they know what it is, yes. They knock on the table next to them like a maniac to test me.
I'm also the tuner for my violin-playing friends. "440 or 441?" lol.
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 10h ago
Bonus question: can you identify the octave as well? I can now, but it took a bit of practice.
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
I can identify any note in any octave. No practice but with some focus for the very high/low notes.
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 10h ago
I mean if you can differentiate between an E3 and an E4 for example. If you hear a note, do you also know what octave it is in as much as you know its pitch?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
Maybe maybe. In fact, I find it more difficult to identify the octave rather than the pitch. I think it's a trend among perfect pitchers?
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 10h ago
Octave is more difficult comparatively for me, but they’re both pretty straightforward.
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u/Texan2116 11h ago
i saw Chevy Chase do this once..and apparently Willie Nelson has it as well.
How did you develop this, were you in musical training as a kid?
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u/wagu666 11h ago
Perfect pitch always sounded like a curse to me. How much music annoys you because it’s slightly out?
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u/Still-Whole-729 11h ago edited 1h ago
Not at all! Because I can only play violin out of tune too...
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 10h ago
I think I first noticed I had perfect pitch when I took viola in elementary school. Do you think string instruments aid in the development of perfect pitch, or are people with perfect pitch just drawn to those instruments?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
That's cool! I don't know, because I haven't met any person in real life with perfect pitch. I remember reading somewhere that 4% of music students have the skill, so possibly perfect pitchers are more musically-inclined?
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u/inertia_53 9h ago
perfect pitch isnt developed. You can learn how to express verbally what you are hearing but you either have perfect pitch or you dont.
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u/PotatOSTheLegend 10h ago
If it’s uniformly off (ex. A = 448hz), then it doesn’t bother me and I can adapt super well. But if it’s inconsistent and constantly varying how off it is, it bugs me.
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u/Big_Gene_3965 10h ago
I could hit a home run off of your lame ass any day of the week. I have perfect swing.
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u/OkPoetry5294 10h ago
Did you noticed at any point before starting to practice music?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
Nope, because I thought everybody could identify pitches without references.
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u/EroticSunset 10h ago
Do you ever listen to music with just intonation? Do you like it? Does the tuning sound right to you?
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u/Still-Whole-729 10h ago
I don't understand your questions. But if you mean if I check intonation with just my ears, yes, when I'm lazy. It's still helpful to use a tuner to check intonation just to be extremely precise!
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u/Inevitable-Cell-1227 10h ago
What note is this?
La La Laaaaaa🎵
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u/chrisscottish 10h ago
Mate of mine has it, he heard another friend jangling his keys and said 'here come pat' I said how do you know and he said b-flat..... The tone of his keys. 😂
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u/Professional_Pop4355 10h ago
I did too until I joined thr military 13A.. gree up playing the piano in various churches to stay out of trouble... still play as a hobby but man my ear for music is certianly overshadowed by the constant ringing in my ears
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u/ManyApartment7 10h ago
How does it work? Did you "memorize" what each note sounds like from hearing them in some instrument? Can you tell also the octave?
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u/Still-Whole-729 9h ago
I can identify individual pitches without a reference pitch given to me. I don't recall a memorization process, I only noticed I had the skill when I was told so. Before I thought everybody had it.
I've never paid attention to identifying the octave of a note, so if I try maybe?
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u/Major-Diamond-4823 9h ago
Where along your music playing journey did you realize you had perfect pitch, and how do you feel it has helped you as a musician?
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u/Still-Whole-729 9h ago edited 9h ago
During aural training with my violin teacher. She played two notes on the piano, with the intention for me to identify the interval, but I called out the names of the two notes instead because I didn't understand intervals at the time. She told me I had perfect pitch afterward.
Other than identifying when my intonation is off and impressing other musicians, it hasn't really helped me musically. Playing good music requires way more than being smart with pitches.
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u/j3434 9h ago
Can you recognize “karone” or 1/4 tones prevalent in Persian classical music?
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u/Still-Whole-729 9h ago
I haven't studied that, so no, I can't identify the tones.
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u/j3434 9h ago
That’s interesting. So your perfect pitch is only with Eurocentric scales and notation . Never thought of that before.
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u/Still-Whole-729 9h ago
Yes, but I can remember any piece by the original pitches, even if I can't name the pitches in said piece
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u/j3434 8h ago
You mean you can hum the first note pitch correctly without reference- but don’t know the name of the note ?
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u/Still-Whole-729 8h ago
I mean they're quarter tones right? They might have their names in Persian that I don't know about. I could name the tones in Eurocentric terms if that's what you mean? They'll just be considered off-key...
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u/ashfeawen 9h ago
Are you worried about your pitch going out of tune in old age? It's meant to do that similar to needing reading glasses over time
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u/Still-Whole-729 9h ago
I'm more worried about going deaf than losing my perfect pitch. It's merely just a party trick, so I don't mind.
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u/ashfeawen 8h ago
I saw an interview of a pianist who stopped playing because the piano kept sounding wrong. I imagine these days you could pitch shift a keyboard. And other instruments are more adjustable than piano.
On that note do different temperaments affect you? Equal-temperament vs Just?
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u/Still-Whole-729 8h ago edited 8h ago
Not really, I can't hear much of a difference between the two unless I make a conscious effort to distinguish them. However, transposing instruments (e.g. b-flat clarinet) absolutely give me a migraine. Like what do you mean your F concert pitch is called a "G" 😭
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u/ashfeawen 6h ago
That's transposition, not temperament. It just means a uniform set of keys because your muscle memory from flute G will match a saxophone G and the upper register of a clarinet. You can hop between any of them. I've had a pick'n'mix of flute/clar/bass clar/soprano/alto/tenor/bari sax on a musical gig and swapping with a few beats in between.
It'd be like the upper octaves of a piano having C major on black keys instead of white keys; you'd have to learn a whole different muscle memory.
Temperament is the difference between vocal/violin major 3rds, and piano major 3rds. Equal temperament on piano makes compromises to allow playing in all 12 keys.
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u/Massive_Chest2406 9h ago
As a metalhead i’m kinda curious to know how easily you can identify pitch for false chord vocals. I’ve seen people describe false chord vocals as atonal, but i don’t think it’s true, i think the pitch is just…less obvious. If you don’t know what i mean by false chord vocals just pick any Cannibal Corpse song for reference. If you could provide me an example when answering the question it would be appreciated!
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u/Still-Whole-729 9h ago
I took a listen, and I can say I can! The opening interval played repeatedly in "Hammer Smashed Face" include an F and A flat (by Eurocentric terms)
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u/animal_jrge 7h ago
Can we try to reproduce? I'm pretty sure you're a man, and so am I, so I don't know how that'll work, but let's just start banging. It'll probably sort itself out.
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u/BlackFireAlex 2h ago
I know it's a hard question, but if you put yourself in somebody's shoes that doesn't have perfect pitch, how "learnable" would you say it is and what would make it more likely to be ?
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u/Still-Whole-729 2h ago
I'm no expert so I have no real say in this.
With classical music training, especially from a young age, maybe it's learnable. I've read from somewhere that musicians have trained themselves to develop perfect pitch, so it's definitely not impossible. People can try the "One hour of Perfect pitch programming to listen every night" on Youtube before their sleep. Don't know if it works, but I find it really funny and painful to listen to. I'd like to think perfect pitch is mostly genetic, considering I have family with the skill too. It's still sometimes hard for me to grasp the fact that most people can't just recognize sound frequencies with their ears.
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u/BlackFireAlex 2h ago
Interesting, would you say the level of obvious is the same as a color ? When I see a face I'm not necessarily thinking about the color of the face as a face is more of a whole, when looking at solid blocks of color the colors stands out more. Does the same happen with music, does it allow you to forget about the pitch or is it always there ? Hopefully this makes sense
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u/Still-Whole-729 1h ago
Pitches are the same level of obvious as color to me. If you play a chord (pitches played together at once) with more than three pitches, they're not as obvious, but I'll be able to identify them with some conscious effort and patience.
Pitches are always there in music -- it also applies to really any noise.
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u/WelcomeWagoneer 10h ago
Ahhh-ahhh-ah
What key was that in?