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Re: Misconceptions.

Posted by unclestu52 (D) on February 15, 2007 at 11:19:36

In Reply to: Misconceptions. posted by markrohr on February 15, 2007 at 04:19:56:

Hmmm, no real comment except I point out in the first paragraph that most musicians do NOT have perfect pitch. Intonation, by your words, is the individual adjustment for the betterment of the ensemble's playing. The key is that the player(s) have to be able to hear it. I am pointing out that those with perfect pitch hear it better and can much more easily adapt.
I do not know what you have been reading into my post, but the key is recognition. As I had pointed out it took me many years to be able to recognize the importance of intonation (a performance of the Chester Overture for wind ensemble when I was a junior in high school pointed that out to me, as the brass choir requires extremely good intonation in order to produce the overtones in the harmonies). One of the abilities of those with perfect pitch is pitch recognition, not simply the ability to play a=440.
Those who I have met with perfect pitch (Ben Reitveld being one of them, the bassist for Santana, who was a so-so drummer in high school) can take ensemble playing, not playing in perfect tune, and but playing along seamlessly with the ensemble's relative pitch.
I had a chance to talk to Peter Smith, associate principle oboe at Philadelphia. He has perfect pitch. It was interesting because he pointed out that the orchestra's pitch tends to hover at a=442 and was purchasing an instrument designed around that constant. We were chatting about the acoustics at Verizon Hall, and when I mentioned that I thought the acoustics and the high frequency reverberance changes as the Hall warms up, other members of the orchestra voiced some surprise at my comment, Peter said that he can hear it quite clearly, even when performing.

My point, to reiterate, is simple: ensemble playing, among other things, requires good intonation. Those with perfect pitch recognize this easier and can blend in with the ensemble better. I am NOT saying that they only play a=440 regardless of what others are playing. I am NOT saying that without perfect pitch one can not play in an ensemble.

Stu

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