[Blindtlk] absolute pitch

Wed Dec 30 23:42:18 UTC 2009

Well, Don Mitchell is a stellar musician who seems to have excellent pitch
anyway.  I know because I've played with him several times, and he always
tells me I'm out of tune.
He even says he can tune by phone...don't ya, Don?
Jim P

-----Original Message-----
From: blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindtlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Don Mitchell
Sent: Monday, December 28, 2009 10:41 PM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] absolute pitch

I too come from a family with music in our background. My Grand Father, on 
my Mother's side, plaid the guitar during the depression and earned money 
and food by playing dances. I still have the Gibson guitar he plaid.

I once had part of a course that was purported to teach perfect pitch. I did

not have all the elements of the course, but I haven't been able to learn 
perfect pitch.

I agree with you that it seems to be hard wired in to many people and seems 
to run in families. Both my sister and I are musical. I have many cousins 
who are very musical. None of them are blind.

>From the example of the Chinese it appears that it can be a genetic 
predisposition. Most Chinese, 48%, are born with this ability. Since it is 
linked to language, and language is so important for survival it is much 
higher in that population

Don Mitchell, Registered Piano Technician.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Laurie Porter" <freespirit1 at tds.net>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 27, 2009 5:52 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] absolute pitch

> So, I wonder what percentage of blind people who have perfect pitch come
> from families with  a genetic predisposition to to musical backgrounds? or
> "? I would imagine that people possessing such a gift have perhaps a 
> strong
> background in a musical family and that the talent has evolved through the
> family. I'm the daughter of several generations of blind piano tuners, and
> music or relative pitch was something I never had to learn as if   I was
> predisposed to it. My  father,   uncles and grandfather grew up in the 30s
> and 40s where piano tuning was considered one of teh only means of 
> achieving
> gainful employment at the time and so they were encouraged to develop 
> their
> skill based upon the sterotype that all blind people have greater musical
> abilities than the sighted.  I say this only because I feel that a genetic
> predisposition to music has nothing to do with blindness. I can't help to
> think that they not possessed such a predisposition, that they wouldnot
> have earned   the reputation of successful regardless of how much sight 
> they
> had.  As for people with absolute pich, it's been my experience  that 
> those
> people seem to have it hard wired in the brain and that it is not
> necessarily a skill that is developed through training. They either have 
> it,
> or they don't. I do know some people who are autistic and I also know 
> other
> sighted tuners and musicians who have good relative pitch and they too 
> have
> come from musical families.
> ----- Original Message  ----- 
> From: "Don Mitchell" <donmi at comcast.net>
> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Friday, December 25, 2009 4:49 PM
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] absolute pitch
>
>
>> According to research I have seen about 5 percent of the general
>> population in the united states have absolute pitch. In China, where 
>> pitch
>> differentiation is a part of the spoken language the percentage goes up 
>> to
>> 48 percent. Working at the piano tuning school and being a musician I 
>> find
>> that the percentage of absolute pitch seems to be higher in blind people.
>> Based on what has been found among the Chinese I surmise that because we
>> are blind we listen more then sighted persons and because this is much
>> more significant for us to listen some develop this skill. I do know
>> sighted persons who have absolute pitch. I am not aware of studies on the
>> subject so my ideas are just observations and not necessarily the 
>> complete
>> truth.
>>
>> Don Mitchell
>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>> From: "Ron Poire" <rpoire at comcast.net>
>> To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009 5:06 PM
>> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] absolute pitch
>>
>>
>>> Hi all,
>>> I don't know of any studies done to prove the point either way.
>>> In my experience, the blind people I know, don't seem to have any
>>> prevailance in absolute pitch.
>>> I have very good relative pitch, and am stil a few hertz off when trying
>>> to pull a string to the correct pitch.
>>> Since I am a piano technician by trade, I will use my pitch perception 
>>> to
>>> put a new string in the ball park, or correct a piano's pitch with more
>>> than a 1/4 tone deviance.
>>> If a group of blind people prevail in having absolute pitch, that just
>>> happens to be the way the ball bounces.
>>>
>>> Merry Christmas,
>>>
>>> Ron Poire RPT
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- 
>>> From: <kishia.mason at gmail.com>
>>> To: <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>>> Sent: Thursday, December 24, 2009 12:55 AM
>>> Subject: [Blindtlk] absolute pitch
>>>
>>>
>>>> Goes anyone have a theory as to why many blind people have perfect
>>>> pitch?
>>>>
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>>>
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>>
>>
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>
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