Some Important Absolute Pitch Distinctions by Graham English

Some Important Absolute Pitch Distinctions

March 31, 2006

The following absolute pitch distinctions will help you determine where you currently are–if you possess any type of absolute pitch–and also help you identify your growth along the path of absolute pitch development.

Active Absolute Pitch is the ability to sing or hum a pitch without hearing it first.

Passive Absolute Pitch is the ability to identify individual notes after hearing them. Some passive AP possessors can identify several notes played simultaneously.

It’s interesting to note that many people possess one or the other, but not both. And if you are a student of my course, Absolute Pitch Power, then you may find yourself developing a strength in either active or passive absolute pitch. Ideally, you want both types of absolute pitch.

If you have one type of absolute pitch and want to develop the other, please leave your questions in the comments area and I’ll do my best to help.

If you are using Absolute Pitch Power, then you are following the path to both types of absolute pitch. And now you have the understanding of which type you are developing first. There is no correct order of development. Everybody’s different.

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hello

this is not so much a question
well… more of an ‘am i on the right track?’

i’ve been singing intervals everday up and down stemming from a tonal center, and after reading this acticle i believe that by doing so i have been developing my Active Absolute Pitch
(which, I must say is both surprising and exiting to me)

I feel as if i am getting more and more accurate at reproducing a pitch without hearing it first

But i get confused with the Passive Absolute Pitch

When i hear a tone it feels like the different possibilities are overwhelming . So I pick a starting tonal center that i’m comfortable with, A or E and try to re-construct the interval from that starting tone to the tone that i just heard. It seems as if i am taking the “long way” to the end result. And i end up being confused about whether i am right or not.

Should i keep at this, until i get better and better, or is there different method i should try.

You input would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You,
Jeff Stephanoff

3 comments on “Some Important Absolute Pitch Distinctions”

- Jeff Stephanoff said:
- Dec 20th, 2006 at 9:40 am
hello

this is not so much a question
well… more of an ‘am i on the right track?’

i’ve been singing intervals everday up and down stemming from a tonal center, and after reading this acticle i believe that by doing so i have been developing my Active Absolute Pitch
(which, I must say is both surprising and exiting to me)

I feel as if i am getting more and more accurate at reproducing a pitch without hearing it first

But i get confused with the Passive Absolute Pitch

When i hear a tone it feels like the different possibilities are overwhelming . So I pick a starting tonal center that i’m comfortable with, A or E and try to re-construct the interval from that starting tone to the tone that i just heard. It seems as if i am taking the “long way” to the end result. And i end up being confused about whether i am right or not.

Should i keep at this, until i get better and better, or is there different method i should try.

You input would be greatly appreciated!

Thank You,
Jeff Stephanoff

- Graham English said:
- Dec 20th, 2006 at 10:49 am
Active absolute pitch is great and not very difficult to learn. It seems to happen naturally. So now you can compose away from your instrument!

But passive absolute pitch takes more time. There’s so many possible combinations of sounds that it can confuse the ear as to which part of the sound is actually the pitch. If you can do this, begin your passive absolute pitch work with a live instrument. Try to have someone test you. As you get better, graduate to recordings. There’s something about being in the room with a live instrument that makes it easier.

But for now, you’ve got a great foundation. Way to go!

- Wendy Bull said:
- Dec 21st, 2006 at 2:43 pm
Thanks again Graham.
Another great article.
Thanks also to Jeff Stephanoff I found the same problem.
I thought the note I heard was say an A but my mind changed when I hit the button.
Most of the time I was correct the first time.
I have been listening to the article about the swish method and intend to work on that, as that seems to be a way of helping.
Wendy Bull

Graham English