Fwd: Perfect Pitch (from SEM-L)

Hey all,

I just subscribed to the Society for Ethnomusicology Discussion List SEM-L, & this is the first message that turned up. Just thought you had to read it. Delightful I think. SEM-L is at <http://www.ethnomusicology.org/>

- Joel

Begin forwarded message:

> From: "Jeanie C. Flowers"
> To: SEM-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
> Subject: Re: Perfect Pitch
> Reply-To: Society for Ethnomusicology Discussion List <SEM-
> L@indiana.edu>
>
> I just wanted to add my thoughts on perfect pitch from my personal
> experience...
>
> I have an 8 year old daughter who has perfect pitch. When > Rachel was first
> exposed to the gamelan, I thought she would hate it, because it > does not fit
> into the western tuning system. (I had a friend with perfect > pitch who once
> told me that he couldn't stand listening to Indonesian music > because of that
> - he said it drove him crazy.) Well, Rachel loves it. Maybe it > is because
> she was exposed to other tuning systems at such a young age > that she hadn't
> gotten locked into "our" way of hearing yet. Rachel can > duplicate any exact
> pitch, and will explain it in terms like "almost" or "in > between" a named
> pitch. I'm sure that once she learns about quarter-tones and > cents, she will
> be able to explain pitches more precisely using those terms. > Incidentally,
> she also enjoys duplicating the off-key singing of a certain > Judy Collins
> tape of children's songs... now that one drives ME nuts!
>
> Jeanie Flowers
>