Follow-up to a GD thread regarding Connie and perfect pitch.

[The Backlash Cometh]

Here's the video on Connie:

http://www.glumbert.com/media/connie

Here's the GD thread where people discussed what makes up perfect pitch:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1640628

And here's a current article on the subject:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070827/en_nm/gene_pitch_dc

One gene may be key to coveted perfect pitch By Julie Steenhuysen
Mon Aug 27, 5:23 PM ET



Musicians and singers work for years to develop their sense of pitch but few can name a musical note without a reference tone. U.S. researchers on Monday said one gene may be the key to that coveted ability.

Only 1 in 10,000 people have perfect or absolute pitch, the uncanny ability to name the note of just about any sound without the help of a reference tone.

"One guy said, 'I can name the pitch of anything -- even farts,"' said Dr. Jane Gitschier of the University of California, San Francisco, whose study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

She and colleagues analyzed the results of a three-year, Web-based survey and musical test that required participants to identify notes without the help of a reference tone. More than 2,200 people completed the 20-minute test.

"We noticed that pitch-naming ability was roughly an all-or-nothing phenomenon," she said.

more at above link.

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. My son has perfect pitch

He can identify a random note, and can also identify the key of any music piece he hears.

I play Classical piano, but have never had perfect pitch. My son plays piano by ear, and is amazing.

[Javaman]

3. My sister has it too...

she was first born and sucked up all the musical genes, before the rest of us had a chance.

[VelmaD]

2. perfect pitch is a curse sometimes

I have both perfect absolute pitch (can tell if someone is in tune with good ol' A440) and perfect relative pitch (can tell if someone is in tune with themself if they're playing or singing or whatever). It is as much a curse as it is a blessing. Most of the world is NOT in tune and it makes my back teeth grind and my jaw clench. Not to mention some musicians who don't have good pitch get really snotty when you tell them they're flat. *snort*