# I don't have perfect pitch, so why can I tune my violin w/o a reference pitch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 5, 2005, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-have-perfect-pitch-so-why-can-i-tune-my-violin-w-o-a-reference-pitch/306977 "2005-06-05T04:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-have-perfect-pitch-so-why-can-i-tune-my-violin-w-o-a-reference-pitch/306977/41 "2005-06-08T21:35:39Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Thing is, I don’t know of any perfect pitch training program that _reliably_ and consistently teaches one this skill. I’d be curious to know if any exist. Reliably and consistently teaching the party-trick ability to identify individual notes? Now _that’s_ a programme that’s not worth anybody’s time! 😉 Identifying individual pitches is pretty much useless when put alongside harmonic awareness, sounds of keys and modulations…hell, even the ability to _sing_ teaches a lot that’s more important than knowing your G sharps from B flats. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-have-perfect-pitch-so-why-can-i-tune-my-violin-w-o-a-reference-pitch/306977/42 "2005-06-08T22:02:07Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Reliably and consistently teaching the party-trick ability to identify individual notes? Now _that’s_ a programme that’s not worth anybody’s time! 😉 > > Identifying individual pitches is pretty much useless when put alongside harmonic awareness, sounds of keys and modulations…hell, even the ability to _sing_ teaches a lot that’s more important than knowing your G sharps from B flats. I don’t disagree with you here, but I think reduce “perfect pitch” to a party trick is being just a _tad_ dismissive, almost smacking of sour grapes. Like I said, I don’t have perfect pitch, I don’t think it’s necessarily an important skill to have, but I can’t help but think that it would help in a deeper appreciation for music. It can, apparently, also drive you nuts when a cassette tape player is 1/4 step or more off. (At least that’s what they tell me–I sometimes think they’re just trying to make me feel better for not having AP. :)) So, sure, I’ll take someone with well-trained relative pitch over perfect pitch any day. But I have to think that AP can be a little more useful than as simply a party trick. ---
**Author:** ![Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/angel_of_the_lord/32/2949_2.png) [@Angel\_of\_the\_Lord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angel_of_the_Lord)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-have-perfect-pitch-so-why-can-i-tune-my-violin-w-o-a-reference-pitch/306977/43 "2005-06-09T03:42:37Z")
Not that this means anything, but maybe I could shed some light on things. I took the perfect pitch test (the discovery channel one). I did pretty well. Additionally, if you give me a keyboard, I will start playing things on it. I’ve even did a tablature for a song before, then checked it against already-existing tabs. It was right. I figured out the tab on a keyboard, not on a guitar. And, according to my husband, I sing on pitch. I don’t sing _well_–the quality of my voice is crappy and untrained–but I’m on pitch. The sum total of my musical “training”: Two clarinet lessons. Half a year of chorus in 7th grade. Maybe five guitar lessons. That’s it. I can barely read music; I certainly can’t look at a note on a page and hear it in my head. Hell, when I did the test, I was comparing all the notes to “The First Noel” in my head. When I did my half-year in chorus, I had to play all my pieces on the recorder so that I could sing them correctly the first time through. I don’t know if there’s anything unusual about this–but if there is, it bears mention; my mom has nearly perfect pitch. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2005, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-have-perfect-pitch-so-why-can-i-tune-my-violin-w-o-a-reference-pitch/306977/44 "2005-06-09T07:05:55Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I don’t think it’s necessarily an important skill to have, but I can’t help but think that it would help in a deeper appreciation for music… > > So, sure, I’ll take someone with well-trained relative pitch over perfect pitch any day. But I have to think that AP can be a little more useful than as simply a party trick. I’m certainly glad I don’t have the “Ewwww, they’re not playing at 440” reaction that some people have. I’m glad that I’m aware that I’ve just got a well-trained ear. But I do wonder what real extra appreciation can be gained from the ability to identify note names and chords in isolation - does it give that person any greater insight into why they’re used in a particular way by a particular composer? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-have-perfect-pitch-so-why-can-i-tune-my-violin-w-o-a-reference-pitch/306977.md?page=2)