Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

[Joey Voltage]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

Well.... this was in Jazz Band 102 in college.....

Strange. I suppose its all contextual though. In my mind it immediately conjures up an image of somebody that only enjoys very formulaic approaches rather than anything even remotely artistic.

[kingsnake]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

Speaking of jazz, i read that Charlie Parker and John Coltrane did NOT have perfect pitch (this is also mentioned in the above video).


Miles Davis claims to have learned perfect pitch in his 20s, but some of his band mates denied that he had PP.

[dave74]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

If I setup a guitar at a new tuning without any hard references (tuner, cd, or other guitar) I can come close just by playing a specific song in my head.
Like Shortest Staw for instance at Eb, or South Of Heaven,,,,,something slow and easy lol.
Close is no cigar though.
I always check it with something solid when it's time to fine-tune the springs in back.

[Securb]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

Go see Neil Young live, his ear is so bad he can't even tell when his guitar is out of tune. Or he simply doesn't care.

[GilmourD]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

[Demanic]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

Go see Neil Young live, his ear is so bad he can't even tell when his guitar is out of tune. Or he simply doesn't care.

Knowing Neil, it's probably both.

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[dg27]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

I knew a sound engineer who had perfect pitch. It was more amusing than anything else, when he would name the notes of a police siren, an elevator's "ding", etc. I don't believe he actually benefited from it in any practical sense.

[kingsnake]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

Knowing Neil, it's probably both.

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According to the guy in the youtube video posted earlier, you lose perfect pitch by age 60.

I remember Neil being on howard stern a few years back. His guitar was out of tune and he refused to tune it in front of howard. In fact, Fred tuned it up for him and he started rocking. However, he would switch tunings on the fly live all the time earlier in his career.

[Demanic]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

I saw him live back in '91and it was one of the loudest shows I've ever heard. I know what my hearing is like at my age, and it would come as no surprise to me if his is even worse.

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[ICTGoober]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

I worked a couple Chuck Berry shows and saw him on Carson a couple times. He NEVER tuned his guitar. It sounded bad, and he didn't care as long as he got paid.

[dave74]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

I worked a couple Chuck Berry shows and saw him on Carson a couple times. He NEVER tuned his guitar. It sounded bad, and he didn't care as long as he got paid.

Hey it's all about that duck-walk!

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

I knew a sound engineer who had perfect pitch. It was more amusing than anything else, when he would name the notes of a police siren, an elevator's "ding", etc. I don't believe he actually benefited from it in any practical sense.

It seems to me that the only practical application for perfect pitch would be in singing a cappella... and even then not particularly necessary.

Perfect pitch always seemed more like a nifty novelty to me instead of actually being useful. Who cares if you're off by a few hertz as long as the whole instrument is in tune with itself and/or all the pieces are in tune with one another?

[Mincer]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

I have good relative pitch, but only have ever met 3 people in my life with absolute pitch. Two of them were twins (creepy) and they both had a genius-level IQ, but were somewhere on the very socially awkward spectrum...the 3rd one I knew was as well, and made his living as a piano tuner, and was also very socially awkward. Maybe not enough of a sampling, but that is my experience.

And I don't believe it can be taught. Not to the level that these people did it.

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

Just realized that I forgot to answer the actual question from the thread title, so...

I doubt that any more than a handful of rock stars have perfect pitch, and even THAT might be an exaggeration. It's a rare skill already and it's really not any kind of a requirement for being a musician at any level.

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: Do ALL rock stars possess PERFECT pitch?

Ithe 3rd one I knew was as well, and made his living as a piano tuner, and was also very socially awkward.
And I don't believe it can be taught. Not to the level that these people did it.

Friend of mine was a piano tuner (didn't have perfect pitch) and he had to stop because he said not only did it hurt his social interactions, but it made him start to go a little insane. He was making good money too.

And I agree with you it cannot be taught. Once you meet someone who has it and spend some time with them...you realize it's something else entirely hah.