# Perfect Pitch and Instruments

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-instruments/439337>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [February 27, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-instruments/439337 "2008-02-27T03:39:46Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-instruments/439337/1 "2008-02-27T03:39:46Z")

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[http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4\_236b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_236b.html)

Regarding this column I have a slight question. Cecil says that it’s nescessary to be able to recognize a note on listening, and to sing it.

> [@](#):
>
> Perfect pitch includes two separate skills: the ability to name a tone once heard, and the ability to sing a named tone on command. A good singer without perfect pitch can approximate the latter skill because it depends in part on the kinesthetic (muscle) sense–i.e., how the sound feels in your head as you sing it.

Is the latter part really nescessary? I’ve only ever known one person with perfect pitch (on everything, I can actually name an F and a D and their relative tuning but no other notes but that’s not perfect if it’s only two notes is it? ;)) he would tune the band when I was in middle school, as the assistant director(or at least the flutes, he worked with us most). But he didn’t sing at all he only played flute and piccolo in fact. He could obviously tune his voice to the note in his head without a reference pitch, but didn’t have the training to hit it dead on right away. Does this mean he did not in fact have perfect pitch? He could tell you easily if you were a few cents sharp or flat of the pitch but the singing seems to be a key part of the article.

And as for reading the score like a book (2nd to last paragraph). That doesn’t seem like a feat, when seeing music I can easily hear how it sounds exactly and I know I don’t have perfect pitch. That’s just an aside though.

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [February 27, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/perfect-pitch-and-instruments/439337/2 "2008-02-27T18:04:20Z")

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[QUOTE=Jragon]  
He could obviously tune his voice to the note in his head without a reference pitch, but didn’t have the training to hit it dead on right away. Does this mean he did not in fact have perfect pitch?  
[/QUOTE]  
The vocal skill as such is not what matters, but rather that he could remember the right note in a vacuum, and not merely recognize it. It would serve as well if he could reliably produce the right pitch on a slide whistle or a theremin. “Sing” is just the most obvious example.