This will be some of the more esoteric knowledge pertaining to absolute pitch. But nonetheless important. Keep an open mind.
Silence
Absolute pitch is so well disguised that almost everybody misses it completely. If you know how to listen, you’ll hear it. A portal opens up through silence.
Do you hear any sounds now? Can you feel the presence of a distinct and precise pitch of those sounds? Listen carefully.
Listen for it in the silence out of which the sounds come and into which they return. Begin by paying more attention to the silence than to the sounds. When you pay attention to the outer silence you create inner silence: the mind becomes still. A portal is opening up.
Every sound is born out of silence, dies back into silence, and during its existence is surrounded by silence. Silence enables the sound to exist. Become conscious of the gaps between sounds. As you do that, the dimension of stillness grows within you. You have entered the silence portal.
Imagine that you are vibrating right now with thought (which you are). Picture yourself buzzing with mental energy just like the buzzing of a trumpet mouthpiece. Now add another vibration to the mix, the sound of a middle C (261.626 kHz). Now what you have is two vibrations occurring at the same time, the vibration of your inner mind (which can be measured using an EEG machine) and the vibration of the external sound. And we know that when we add two vibrations or pitches together we are also creating even more overtones. The fundamental pitch becomes even harder to hear. Thus, creating confusion to an untrained ear.
Now contrast that with a still mind. A pitch enters your awareness. It comes to you. A single drop of water falling on a still pond. The quiet mind recognizes its fundamental nature immediately. Absolute pitch.
What happens when you hear a single pitch? Does the mind scramble to figure it out by talking to itself? “What note is that? Is it a C? Damn! I can’t figure it out.” Or does it silently recognize the distinct vibration with no mental chatter?
So what disguises absolute pitch? Mental noise.
Practice being still. When you listen to a pitch, notice what happens with your mind. Try to create stillness with no attachment to results. This is how it will feel when you demonstrate absolute pitch. Slow your breathing down. Still the mind. Allow the gradual process of absolute hearing to come to you. Don’t force it or try to think it into existence. Let your hearing be born out of the silence portal.
Music is the silence between the notes.
-Claude Debussy
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Hi Graham
Thanks for the article, it is informative as ever.
I am re working my musical knowledge in a new way, and ejoying every minute.
regards Wendy
That’s wonderful to hear, Wendy. Every moment is a brand new listening experience!
Dear Graham,
That latest article was timely. Thanks. I was beginning to let compulsive, guessing and stabbing at being “correct” back into my study time. The anxiety creatied made my scores and confidence instantly go down. This is a good reminder to let this learning unfold and to grow into a new, more sensitive person in the process.
Judy Lacks