I have perfect pitch.
Itâs the rare ability that allows me to put a note to every sound that I hear, and I mean every sound. For example, I will hear a bird chirp and think to myself, âOh, thatâs G sharp!â
My perfect pitch is also a great conversation starter, but this fact typically only impresses musicians. Those who arenât familiar with the concept usually give me one of two responses: âYou can sing really well, right?â or âOh, I love that movie!â
Essentially, few people know what Iâm talking about.
So I went to my former âIntroduction to Musical Literatureâ (Music 10) professor, Carol A. Hess, to talk about perfect pitch. Though sheâs well aware of the phenomenon, she doesnât have it herself.
âThe ear is fundamental in music,â Hess emphasized. âIf you have a good one, youâre that much further ahead.â
The response I get the most when I let people know that I have perfect pitch is a question about whether Iâm a good singer. The answer to that is subjective. If you judge me solely off of my atrocious range, then Iâm a horrible singer. Despite this, Iâll always stay in tune and hit all of the right notes when I croak my way through a song.
People also ask how I âgotâ perfect pitch, to which I say that itâs something Iâve always had. Most researchers believe that perfect pitch is an inherent ability and that it cannot be learned.
Hess utilized many musical memorization techniques throughout her career, but never developed full-fledged perfect pitch. âWhen someone plays random notes at the piano, Iâm usually a half or whole step too high or too low,â she said.
Fortunately, there are other ways to develop a better sense of pitch. With interval training and musical dictation exercises, ârelative pitchâ can be learned. Musicians without perfect pitch use relative pitch to distinguish the intervals between pitches and identify different chords.
âStart by listening to simple melodies and writing them down. That way you can figure out what the relationships between the notes are,â Hess suggested.
Now, you might be thinking, âPerfect pitch seems like such a gift. Youâre so lucky to have it!â But you may be surprised to learn that there are, indeed, downsides to this unique ability.
My brain processes every sound I hear, from pop tunes to everyday sounds like car horns. I start to feel like I am constantly immersed in notes, which isnât always a good thing. As a result, I come across as overly sensitive in this regard, but sometimes I wish people could hear from my point of view.
Still, I wouldnât want to give up this ability. Perfect pitch has reinforced my appreciation and understanding of music, and I truly couldnât imagine life without it.
âItâs a fantastic skill to have,â said Hess. âMy college roommate with perfect pitch said she wouldnât trade it for the world.â