Dan Schmidt <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>I have it and I find that its disadvantages are dwarfed by its advantages.
>For example, it's nice to be able to say 'aha, now we've reached the
>dominant' in the middle of a lengthy development section.

It is not necessary to have perfect pitch to be able to hear that.  Most
of people - also those with "bad" pitch - who plays the C-major scale on a
piano will hear when they reach the dominant, and that is enough to hear it
in a piece of music as well.  I can do it without perfect pitch.

Neither it is necessary to have perfect pitch to be able to at least make
qualifyed guesses what tone it is.  A person without perfect pitch can to
good extent train his ability to recognize tones with focusing on the tones
colours.  I, for example, who not have perfect pitch, hear immediately when
a sharp or flat note appears, but I can't say for sure which note it is, as
I don't hear "linear", but I have an idea of what a "zusammenklang" may
sound like.  It is a knowledge about the tones colours, not the frequence.

Mats Norrman
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