Something that puzzles me is how a person can play an unfretted string instrument perfectly by ear and not be able to distinguish one melody phrase, or one note, from another when he sings.


I'd assume that this person, who plays stand up bass (in addition to guitar and mandolin), could be taught to hear vocal notes and melodies, too, but when I tried to work with him a bit, he really seemed unable to repeat a short melody line after hearing it, even when singing along with me or a record. Sometimes it was a matter of being off key, but other times he was just plain singing different notes.

He is neither tone deaf nor a monotone, and he can actually sing a few melodies that he knows really well.

Any of you voice teachers out there ever run into this sort of thing? I.e., someone who can play a guitar or mandolin, even an unfretted bass, by ear but can't "play his voice by ear?"

Genie