[Blindtlk] absolute pitch

Thu Dec 31 06:58:39 UTC 2009

Don't believe everything Jim says.

Don

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jim" <jp100 at earthlink.net>
To: "'Blind Talk Mailing List'" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, December 30, 2009 3:42 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] absolute pitch

> 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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