perfect pitch - can it really be taught?

[mtb999]

Has any one got older children who were taught perfect pitch with right brain techniques?  Did it work?  How has it helped them?

From my limited reading - there are 2 sides - one which states that it can't be taught and obviously the side which says it can be taught (primarly vendors of programs to teach pitch).  Apparently there may be genetics involved and there appears to be a greater percentage of asians who have perfect pitch.

Any comments / ideas / references would be appreciated!

[Twinergy]

I use tuning forks A & E to tune my guitar, I use the forks to find the note then hum it as I tune the string.  When I am playing frequently (don’t have time since having kids) I can hear these pitches in my head & can still tune if I can’t find the tuning forks.  Actually I just checked & I still remember.   I have been working on pitch with my kids recently; maybe that has something to do with it.  I learned this as an adult & I think with practice I could probably learn more notes.

[dopeywong]

Yes, I completely agree with Twinergy!  Being a music teacher, I found that perfect pitch be trained.  Like Twinergy mentioned, if you have heard and sing (hum) the "sound" for a zillion times, you trained your brain to "memorize" the "sound" of a particular pitch. 

In my many years of teaching, over 70% of my students have developed perfect pitch and the rest have excellent relative pitch.  This training is done at a very young age through lots and lots of singing. 

[mtb999]

That's promising!  Aside from tuning forks which aren't loud - if you don't have an electric piano or any other instruments are there things or computer programs you can buy which you can to play notes at the correct pitch (down to the last Hz)?

[KL]

Apparently there may be genetics involved and there appears to be a greater percentage of asians who have perfect pitch.

That may not be due to genetics, but rather due to Chinese being a language where pitch/intonation is critical to meaning.  This was mentioned in HH's thread on early music education recently.

Yes, I completely agree with Twinergy!  Being a music teacher, I found that perfect pitch be trained.  Like Twinergy mentioned, if you have heard and sing (hum) the "sound" for a zillion times, you trained your brain to "memorize" the "sound" of a particular pitch. 

In my many years of teaching, over 70% of my students have developed perfect pitch and the rest have excellent relative pitch.  This training is done at a very young age through lots and lots of singing. 

Glad to have you with us, dopeywong!  How do YOU go about teaching perfect pitch? Is it something you teach specifically (ie., devote time to dedicated exercises that are for developing perfect pitch)?

[cybermommy]

I would suggest not using tuning forks, as their pitch varies with temperature, according to my piano tuner. He uses an electric gizmo instead. I have a couple of tuning forks (for medical tests), and I tend to agree with him.

[belovedlily]

I agree that perfect pitch can be taught.  The way I learned a lot of my pitches was from learning how to play the violin at a young age.  That will be the instrument of choice when I teach my son.  You have to really work hard (in the begining) to get the note to sound perfect.  My voice teacher was amazed when I was able to tell her she started a song on the wrong note because I had heard it first a different one and she had changed it.  I attribute it to my violin lessons and I started when I was 8, which is considered late in the music world. 

[cybermommy]

I do remember that the first time my music teacher tested me for perfect pitch, I didn't pass, but I don't remember how young I was. I also don't know how old I was when she found I did have perfect pitch. I don't know if I just understood the testing better, or if I had acquired it along the way, or if I was just paying attention better.

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