Someone on this list said Wagner and Tchaikovsky didn't have perfect pitch. Does anyone know how they composed. Did they have good enough relative pitch to compose away from the piano or did they completely have to rely on the piano? I arrange music off the radio for the high school band. I have good relative pitch so I can work at the desk. But I have a keyboard right beside me so I can check my work to make sure it sounds right. I don't think having perfect pitch can make one composer greater than one who doesn't have perfect pitch. It just makes work easier. When music came to Mozart, he could write it down no matter where he was. Just give him a pencil and some staff paper. I can do that a little, but it might not be in the right key. Jeremey McMillan