The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #134865   Message #3071230
Posted By: Bernard
10-Jan-11 - 08:16 AM
Thread Name: Can the tone deaf learn to sing?
Subject: RE: Can the tone deaf learn to sing?
On the subject of 'Perfect Pitch', it is something that can be learned (I have it).

Nobody is born with it - the very definition belies that as an impossibility. Some people have a better aptitude to learn than others, and this is where the error comes from.

Think... 'Concert Pitch' is a fairly recent innovation, and there are other 'pitches' still in common use. So the idea that someone can be born with such knowledge is daft! It's like learning to talk - we pick up the accent and dialect of those around us.

For example, older church organs are often higher pitched than 'standard', simply because it made them cheaper to produce. a lot of metal and wood goes into making the pipes, so if they are a little shorter, less materials are needed, especially with the lower pitch notes.

This is also why you will find that some ranks end at 'Tenor C' and borrow pipes from another rank - twelve pipes per rank is a considerable saving!

With the advent of electric action, 'unit organs' provided an even bigger saving - one rank of pipes with notes from 32 foot to 1 foot, and the stops simply selected the 61 notes from the rank at the pitch the stop required. Okay, over simplified and off topic...

All I'm saying is there can be many outside influences on someone's musical learning... far too many to quantify, maybe.

;o)