Perfect Pitch for You

Perfect Pitch For You Alla Elana Cohen

Perfect Pitch For You by Alla Elana Cohen

Len Rhodes Music P.O. Box 7252 Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7252

Find us on the World Wide Web at http://www.lenrhodesmusic.com Copyright © 2007, Len Rhodes Music All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Document design by Rhonda Spradling Note illustrations by Alla Elana Cohen First engraving—April 2007 ISBN-13: 978-0-9794269-0-2 ISBN-10: 0-9794269-0-1

Table of Contents

What her students say . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii "Music Fell from the Heavens" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . viii 1. The Miraculous Bell-Ringer or 121 Sharps Sharps and 121 Flats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 2. Perfect Perfect Pitch and Imperfect Perfect Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 3. Levels of Levers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 4. Proponents of Ten Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 5. To Have or Not to Have—That is the Question— or How to Gather the Pieces Together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 6. Esthetics of Synesthetic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 7. Is There a Flaw in the Universal Law? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 8. Is There an Explanation of the Sense of Pitch Location? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 9. What Color is the Relationship, or What What is the Relationship of Pitch Colors?. . 37 10. Perfect Pitch and Relative Pitch—Allies or Enemies? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 11. Perfect Pitch—a Servant or a Master? Master? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 12. Memory Fusion—Problems and Solutions, or a Layer in Time Saves Nine . . . 48 13. All About Aural Recall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 14. Start Smart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 15. Grow a Row Stage I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 16. Grow a Row Stage 1 (Continuation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 17. Grow a Row Stage 2, Filling in the Gaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 18. Grow a Row Stage 3, or Territorial Expansion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73 19. Grow a Row Stage 4, Putting on Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 20. Vertical Units—A Stumbling Block or a Nasty Little Trick?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 21. For People with Inborn Inborn Perfect Pitch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86 22. Selective or Universal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88 23. For Teachers of Children and for Parents, but to be read by everyone who holds this book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 24. Go to the Limitless, Perceive the Whole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 "On Keys" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Appendix 1, Samples of Rhythmic Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98 Appendix 2, Samples of Volleys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 Appendix 3, Dictations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 4

Table of Contents i

This book is addressed to the widest circles of musicians— professional and amateur—to music teachers, to students of music schools and colleges, to performers, composers, to music-lovers of all levels of proficiency and musical background, to parents who would like to help their children develop perfect pitch, to all who are interested in this fascinating subject—developing the sense of pitch and pitch memory. This book is the result of many years of my pedagogical work with adults and children. It is based on my observations and analysis of my practical experience, the essence of which is the conclusion: perfect pitch is necessary and perfect pitch is possible to develop, both in grown-ups and children. The book consists of two parts—the first one discussing the mechanism of pitch perception and touching various important questions in connection with developing perfect pitch. The second part describes in detail the process of developing perfect pitch, starting "from scratch," in stages. To my readers—please, be patient, and read the first part of the book carefully, everything in this book is interconnected, so it is impossible to understand the second part of it without reading the first. Alla Elana Cohen

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What her students say…

When I first started ear-training with Alla Cohen, I had no idea that I would soon be able to do what I do now. In the beginning, I had difficulty identifying notes in the two octaves of the piano —above and below middle C. I now have perfect pitch in all the octaves of the piano. I can not only identify separate notes, but notes in the intervals and chords, and not only on the piano. I can now tell what key the piece is in when listening to a recording. I now play cello with better intonation and better tone, and it helps me in my composing. Eleanor Bragg, 10 year old composer and cellist, student of New England Conservatory, Prep. School ASCAP Morton Gould Award winner Pikes Peak Young Composers first place winner MTNA National level winner (2nd place) 2006 MTNA National level winner (1st place) 2007

When I first started ear-training with Professor Cohen, it was hard for me to recognize all the notes, especially the black keys on the piano, but as I learned more about each note, it became easier for me to figure out all the notes. Shanlyn Tse, 10 year old composer and pianist, student of New England Conservatory, Prep. School Pikes Peak Young Composers first place winner ASCAP Morton Gould Award Honorable mention

When Professor Cohen proposed the possibility of learning perfect pitch, we highly doubted that we would ever find ourselves recognizing notes instantaneously. However, she introduced the notes strategically. First, she began with the white keys, and eloquently explained what sounds and motions these keys denoted. Upon the start of every lesson, she added yet another note to the ones we were already familiar with. Before we knew it, we were able to easily distinguish pitches in all octaves of the piano, separate as well as in the intervals and chords. Danielle and Arielle Galler-Rabinowitz, 15 year old twin sisters, composers and pianists, students of New England Conservatory, Prep. School ASCAP Morton Gould Award winners Carnegie Hall debut 2005 Pikes Peak Young Composers winners

Professor Cohen's teaching technique of perfect pitch is brilliant. I now listen and view music in a way that I never thought was possible. Through her dedicated instruction and teaching methods, she has allowed me to grow as a musician and composer. Dayton Kinney 16 year old composer and pianist student of New England Conservatory, Prep. School Pikes Peak Young Composers first place winner

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Before the course, everything was in black and white, and when I started it, I could experience hearing colors for the first time. It is not about hearing pitches only, but also about grasping the deepest and richest meaning of music. It is a lot of fun to practice the exercises with a friend and see how our ears mutually open up. Frank Brody Guitar performance major, Berklee College of Music

I was introduced to Professor Cohen's unique method in my first lesson with her and was intrigued how each note could be discerned from the others by simply listening to what "direction" the note went in, regardless of octave or instrument. This method helped me pro foundly with intonation, and continues to help me in all my musical endeavors. Justin Burack, 16 year old violinist, composer, student of New England Conservatory Prep. School

Professor Cohen's system opened my ears to a world of color and beauty. Her unique approach is necessary for all people who want to make good music. Her discoveries in pitch recognition, and her system of teaching them, should be known and used by ALL musicians. As a composer, (her) help was indispensible to my career. A composer has only a set of good ears and a perceptive, receptive soul behind them. That is what Professor Cohen gave me, and that is what I cannot live without. Joseph A. Bachour, composer

I had the chance to take a course with Professor Cohen at the New England Conservatory. She is gifted with the ability to break down and communicate her perception of music to others. Hearing about this book excited me since it is a wonderful opportunity for others to get insights into (her) unique world of hearing music. Johannes Berauer, composer, graduate student of New England Conservatory

The Perfect Pitch course has transformed me into a completely different musician. My ability to discern pitches, harmonies and intervals was dramatically enhanced. I am tremendously grateful for the experience and guidance. Strongly recommended for any serious musician. William Chan, composer and conductor graduate of Berklee College of Music

I was extremely interested in the "Perfect Pitch "course and at the same time very hesitant— wondering whether obtaining perfect pitch is in fact possible...Professor Cohen has truly opened a new world to me... she has been a tremendous influence! Michael C.

Names have been given to the Trees of the Forest. Thank You. John D.

I am taking this perfect pitch class with Alla Cohen twenty-one years after graduating from the New England Conservatory with a major in percussion performance…this class and her method are amazing! Jeff F., Boston Ballet Orchestra Member

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Having inborn perfect pitch, I attended Professor Cohen's class because I wanted to get acquainted with her method, and to be able to apply it in my own pedagogical work. I was amazed how (her) unique method worked with the students—professional and amateur musicians—who attended the class, coming to it without any pitch recognition; all of them showed wonderful results, doing something they were not able to do before. I am sure all musicians—teachers, performers, composers—should get acquainted with this course; it will open for them a totally new musical world. Yoshiko Hiramatsu-Kline, free-lance pianist, piano teacher, and New England Conservatory graduate

The insight of approaching and studying perfect pitch coming from Professor Cohen's perfect pitch course not only helped me in developing a sense of different physical characteristics of pitches, but also in improved instant recognition of them. Ho Man Tin, composer student of Berklee College of Music

Through Professor Cohen's perfect pitch classes I discovered how meaningful every single note can be. Shirin H.

Professor Cohen's perfect pitch course is a labor of love. Besides being a gifted pianist and com poser, she is a dedicated and supportive teacher who believes that perfect pitch is AN INNATE ABILITY IN EVERYONE, and that it can be developed with practice and training, which I have experienced and witnessed in her class. Whether you are a skeptic or a believer, this book will teach you about tones as color and motion, and you will never hear sound or music in the same way again! Paul LaRocca, DSM Productions Arranger and Composer

Perfect Pitch can be learned (sometimes slowly), thanks for sharpening my ears, Alla! Donald C.

Her approach of teaching pitch through tone color has immensely helped me. When I play the cello now, I search for the pure color of each tone. Michele M.

For me, Alla Cohen found a way for anyone to develop perfect pitch. She’s a MASTER! Joao Marcos M.

Professor Cohen's approach to perfect pitch ear training opened my mind to combinations of pitches I had not perceived before. Chords, which in the past left me unmoved, or I found to be even abrasive, now become amazingly rich and beautiful blends of bright and mellow tones. Eric Ranvig, composer

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Professor Cohen is able to stimulate abilities that I didn't know existed. Her impressionistic descriptions of the characteristic flavors of each pitch are profound; now when I sit down at a keyboard to play along with a piece I haven't heard before, I start it on the right notes. David S. Reiser

Professor Cohen's perfect pitch class has literally opened a new world to me. I am in a new musical dimension as I learn how to distinguish pitches in all octaves. My ear is much more sensitive to the nuances and colors of the notes. Melinda R.

Professor Cohen's method is a comprehensive approach to ear training that extends far beyond simply naming or singing pitches. This course has been a revelation for me in my approach to listening and understanding music, not just practically but philosophically. Michael Schachter, composer and pianist, student of Harvard University

…this course…has totally opened new doors for me in terms of how I think about music. Tanayi S.

Twenty five years after obtaining a Bachelor of Music in composition I attended Professor Cohen's perfect pitch class at New England Conservatory, having spent a lifetime thinking that the goal of spontaneous pitch recognition was not available to me. Under her guidance, subtleties of timbre, attack, decay, phase shift, and even my emotional response to these sounds were brought to the surface and allowed me to listen deeply and hear what I had never noticed before. Most extraordinary was obtaining the ability to pick out all the pitches in the context of chords and even clusters of closely spaced notes. Professor Cohen is an extraordinary composer, pianist, teacher and author,who brings rare insights to the mysteries of the sonic world, communicating its message in a language we can understand. David Swerdlove, composer, saxophonist

Alla Cohen's course revealed an entirely new dimension of sound to me, a dimension of brightness and hardness and movement within each individual pitch, similar to the complex qualities of the human voice. Her teachings have touched all aspects of my musicianship, from listening, to playing, to composing. They fundamentally affect my awareness of sound and inform each choice I make in composing. Matthew A. Wright, Ph.D. Harvard Medical School

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"Music Fell from the Heavens" Joseph A. Bachour to my teacher, Alla Elana Cohen November 2001

Music fell from the heavens, my teacher told me. Music before 1750 is about heaven. Our window to heaven. Music through the Vienna classics is about humans trying to get to heaven, and mostly making it. Music in the Romantic age is about humans trying to find heaven on earth, though not the right search. Music in the 20th century is about humans discovering that heaven is not to be found on earth, and deciding that heaven does not even exist. Humans are stuck with humans. Music fell from the heavens, my teacher told me, and thus: the heavens do exist, and music does exist, and we exist, and music came from heights and must be high. Music must now rebuild our vision of heaven. A heavy heaven, or lofty heaven. A heaven with weight from human faults, though one is still able to soar with the highest inspiration of human imagination. Music fell, my teacher told me, but from the heavens.

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About the Author Alla Elana Cohen is a composer, pianist and music theorist. She is on the faculty at Berklee College of Music, and the New England Conservatory, where she teaches composition, harmony, counterpoint and ear-training by her own method. She received her education in Moscow, Russia, graduating from the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory with the greatest honors of distinction. As a composer, she works in all the genres of orchestral and chamber music. Her compositions have been performed with much success throughout the USA. Many composition students of Professor Cohen have been winners of numerous prestigious Young Composers' Competitions, at state, national and international levels. She has been recognized as a composer by ASCAP, being a recipient of ASCAPLUS Awards, and has received commissions from the Music Teachers National Association (USA). As a teacher, she has been awarded for "inspiring, educating and mentoring young musicians to become composers of tomorrow" by ASCAP, as well as being the recipient of numerous Certificates of Recognition and Awards as a teacher of MTNA Young Composers' Competition National level winners.

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The Miraculous Bell-Ringer or 121 Sharps and 121 Flats

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here was a unique musician in whether in the future gadgets will be more Moscow, Russia, in the third and perfect—to check his phenomenal ear—he fourth decades of the 20th century. answered: In the future not gadgets, but peoHe was a composer and a church bell- ple will be more perfect—in a hundred years ringer, his name was Konstantin Saradjev- all people will have perfect pitch and many— junior. Legends were circulating about his such as mine. musical genius, especially of his superKonstantin Saradjev-junior distinperfect ear for music. His life was tragiguished clearly in the octave 1,701 tones— cally short. But he succeeded to write a each pitch for him had a central tone and book in which he presented music theory 121 flats and 121 sharps. He couldn't play of his own, based on his unique sense of ordinary instruments—piano, violin—in a pitch and on his art of bell-ringing. The tempered system. He played churchmanuscript, unfortunately, was lost in bells—the only instrument that, by his Soviet Russia; only several pages—the words, provided him with the opportupreface—remained. nity to reproduce those unheard-of comHe wrote: The perfect pitch I have I plex harmonies that were born by his would call 'true ear'—the ability to hear with phenomenal ear and marvelous comevery fiber of your being the tone that is issued poser's gift. His compositions for church forth by any object, not only by vibrating bells were—for those who had the happiobjects—to hear the tone of each stone, crystal, ness to hear them—like divine revelations, metal. Pythagoras had such an ear, and, by even if the tiniest gradations of pitches words of his students, had the tone clue to all were lost on the imperfect ears of his listeners. The story of Konstantin Saradjevthe mysteries of nature. Each precious crystal has its individual junior gives us several important clues to tonality and the color which corresponds to the essence of perfect pitch: this tonality. Every inanimate object and each living being on the Earth and in the cosmos 1. We perceive pitches not only with issues forth its, or his or her own tone. our ears, we react on them with 'True ear' can determine the tone of every cell in our bodies. each human being just looking at this person. 2. Perfect pitch is not only a form of For 'true ear' there are no limits the same way auditory perception, it is a way of as the cosmos has no limits. Elements of 'true life, a form of communication with ear' we can meet in many people, but in our the outer world, a form of self-cogcentury they are not developed. nition, of self-awareness, a way to Acoustic gadgets during Konstancomprehend the world. To be able tin Saradjev's time were not so perfect as to perceive and to keep in memory to be equal to his super-perfect ear. When a pitch is to be able to perceive this miraculous musician was asked holistically a musical tone, to keep

The Miraculous Bell-Ringer or 121 Sharps and 121 Flats 9

in memory a hologram of musical tone—it is part of being able to perceive the world holistically, to imbibe impressions of the outer world with every cell of our beings, to live and to breath in harmony with the Universe. 3. Perfect pitch is a multi-faceted, multi-level phenomenon which has no limits—it is possible to imagine an ear even more phenomenal than that of Konstantin Saradjev-junior—one day a person will be born who will discern even a greater amount of gradations in a musical tone. For those who read this book with the goal to develop their own perfect pitch let the story of the miraculous bell-ringer be an inspiration and help in overcoming an important psychological barrier—after all, to learn to recognize and to keep in memory twelve pitches in an octave is a very easy task—in comparison with the 1,701 pitches in an octave I described!

The Miraculous Bell-Ringer or 121 Sharps and 121 Flats 10

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Perfect Perfect Pitch and Imperfect Perfect Pitch

he phenomenon of perfect pitch is still almost untouched by scientific research.* But, first and foremost, let us decide what ability deserves the definition "perfect pitch." Should we give the name "perfect pitch" only to the ability to identify pitches from any instrument, voice, from the orchestra, chorus, and not only horizontally, that is, separate pitches, but also pitches in various unbroken vertical combinations? But then, how to name the ability to recognize pitches only from one instrument, usually the instrument a person plays—be it piano or bassoon? And sometimes not from any piano, but only from his or her own piano? How do you explain what in Russia is called "dirty" perfect pitch—when a person identifies the pitches mostly correctly, but sometimes slides a half-step down or up? Is it perfect pitch or not? Or is it something intermediate between having perfect pitch and not having it? So, we deal with a many-faceted, multi-level phenomenon, that poses before us many unanswered questions. Maybe, one day research on the biological structure of the human brain will give us all necessary answers. But today it is impossible to interpret perfect pitch as

only a biologically determined phenomenon, the same as it is impossible to explain from a purely biological point of view the gift of creativity. Why is the creative gift sometimes latent for half a lifetime, and why, sometimes, after displaying itself in childhood, does it disappear completely later in life? Why does the same convolution of human brain that is responsible for the creative gift, sometimes gives us Mozart, and sometimes, a mediocre composer? The same is with perfect pitch. Why is it so, that perfect pitch consists of many levels and exists in many forms? If it is a product of a certain circuit of the human brain, why does the same circuit produce sometimes perfect perfect pitch and sometimes—imperfect perfect pitch, "dirty" perfect pitch? And, by analogy with the creative gift, why is perfect pitch sometimes latent for years—in people who develop their perfect pitch spontaneously, that is, without any external help, any system of exercises, but only as a result of their general involvement in music, after years of playing the instrument, composing, singing? I personally know a number of people who developed perfect pitch spontaneously—some in childhood, some at

*Dr. Gottfried Schlaug from Beth Israel Hospital, Boston, MA, conducted research on a group of people with perfect pitch and on another group without perfect pitch. The results of this research are still not completely verified, but it seems that it is the left hemisphere of the human brain that is responsible for causing perfect pitch. Dr. Schlaug thinks that people with perfect pitch have a small area in the left hemisphere of the brain that is enlarged in comparison to the brain of those without it. Of course, this research is incomplete, being done on a small group of people. It is interesting, however, to research the brain of people who develop perfect pitch—whether this particular area in the brain Dr. Schlaug mentions changes in a certain way as a result of pitch ear-training.

Perfect Perfect Pitch and Imperfect Perfect Pitch 11

college level. And why is the gift of inborn perfect pitch sometimes lost? I know about such people who lost it in older age, despite having it in their younger years (among them the great Russian pianist Sviatoslav Richter, and the great Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev). All these unanswered questions long ago led enthusiastic musicians in various countries to the idea that perfect pitch should be considered not only an inborn gift, the idea, which, in turn, led enthusiasts to experiments and ultimately, to successful results in developing perfect pitch with the help of special exercises. Among those enthusiasts let us name Paul Hindemith, the great German composer, who thought that every musician obligatory should develop perfect pitch, if he or she is unable to do so, better to change the profession. Also we can name the Russian teacher Theodor Müller, who developed his own perfect pitch at the age of 45, using his own system of exercises; Michael Kravets, also Russian, who achieved amazing results working with children; and American D. L. Burge, who works with adults and children. In Japan there are remarkable achievements in developing perfect pitch in children. I myself began to experiment in the field of developing perfect pitch at the start of my teaching career. As a teacher of composition, ear-training and music theory, I felt the necessity of developing perfect pitch in my students from the very first steps of my teaching. I always felt that pitch ear-training is sadly neglected, and as a result, the majority of students graduating from music schools receive only relative pitch ear-training, with the ear so conditioned to compare pitches, that they are virtually "pitch-deaf"—unable even to approximately name the pitch without comparing it with the orientation point. On the other

hand, those students with inborn perfect pitch are also neglected within the existing system of ear-training—their marvelous ability being ignored, their ear never receiving truly challenging tasks. So I created my own system of pitch ear-training, the goal of which is to develop pitch ear in those who need to develop it "from scratch," so to say, and to give very advanced ear training in all aspects of it to those who possess inborn perfect pitch of any kind or level and to those who developed pitch ear with my system of exercises. What is my concept of perfect pitch? I am firmly convinced, and my teaching experience confirms it, that perfect pitch is a skill, a technique, it is the personal adjustment of the human ear to the row of musical pitches in a way pianism is the personal adjustment of human hands to the keyboard of a piano. As with any skill, any technique, perfect pitch can be learned, can be mastered. Like any skill, this personal adjustment can be easy and swift and come naturally to some, and for some it is a more lengthy and complicated process, requiring patience, a wish to transcend oneself, and a system of special exercises. And as with any technique, some people are destined to reach a high level of virtuosity, and some—only a certain level of it. Those who wish to develop perfect pitch "from scratch" should always keep in mind—inborn perfect pitch in the majority of cases is very imperfect perfect pitch, that needs further development and improvement—this thought will help overcome difficulties one may encounter while developing pitch ear.

Perfect Perfect Pitch and Imperfect Perfect Pitch 12

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Levels of Levers

ere is my classification of forms and levels of inborn perfect pitch:

1. Universal perfect pitch. It is rarely met: the ability to instantaneously recognize pitches from any instrument or human voice, from any object producing pitches (clock, church-bells), from any combination of instruments and/or voices—from orchestra, chorus, and not only the ability to recognize pitches horizontally, but vertically, in any combination, also to be able to tell whether a pitch is flattish or sharpish, and to recall pitches from memory in any timbre and register. 2. Selective perfect pitch. It is met more frequently. This selectivity of perfect pitch comes in various forms: a. Timbral selectivity: the ability to discern pitches only on one instrument or group of instruments of one type—usually the instrument one plays, for example, piano, or cello, or the whole group of string instruments. Sometimes this timbral selectivity of the ear is so acute that a person can recognize pitches only on his or her own piano, not on other pianos. b. Range selectivity: the ability to discern pitches in a certain range, in a certain register. For

example, a person can easily recognize pitches in three middle octaves of the piano, and experiences difficulties or is unable to identify pitches lower and higher. For some people it is easier to recognize pitches only in the upper register of the piano, or another instrument; for some—in the lower register. Perfect pitch can work horizontally and vertically. Two more kinds of selectivity are connected with it: c. Horizontal selectivity: the ability to discern only separate pitches. If a person with such perfect pitch hears an interval or a chord he or she will name the pitches that comprise this interval or chord only when the chord is broken—that is, when all the pitches of a chord sound separately, otherwise this person is unable to identify them. Sometimes horizontal selectivity assumes such an acute character that a person is able to recognize the pitch only when it is fully separated from other pitches, that is, even when it is a horizontal progression of sounds, a melody, it is necessary to stop on a certain pitch, to separate the pitch from other pitches for such an ear to recognize it.

Levels of Levers 13

d. Vertical selectivity: the ability to identify pitches only in the easiest chords-triads, and/or in intervals. In other, more complex vertical combinations such an ear is unable to recognize pitches unless the chord is broken. This kind of selectivity is always combined with the ability to excellently identify pitches horizontally.

developed and improved with the help of special exercises. But each lower level of perfect pitch is the lever with the help of which higher levels of perfect pitch can be reached.

All aforesaid kinds of selectivity may be combined—a person's perfect pitch can be selective both timbrally and horizontally, or can combine any three kinds of selectivity. Special forms of perfect pitch: 1. The ability to recall pitches from memory which accompanies both universal and selective perfect pitch. 2. The ability to hear tiny gradations within the pitch—to be able to tell whether the pitch is flattish or sharpish. This ability is usually combined with universal perfect pitch, and sometimes—with selective. 3. There exists such an interesting form of perfect pitch as "dirty" perfect pitch (as it is called in Russia), or maybe, more correctly, unstable perfect pitch—when a person in the majority of cases identifies pitches correctly, but sometimes slides a half-step down or up. It is always unpredictable what pitches will slide this time. "Dirty" perfect pitch can sometimes be universal or, more frequently—selective. 4. So, in many cases, inborn perfect pitch is only raw material and as such, is unreliable, unless further

Levels of Levers 14

4 L

Proponents of Ten Components

et us now analyze the mechanism of perception of the pitch. As you know, the recognition of pitches by people with inborn perfect pitch is instantaneous. And they are usually either unable to explain how they identify pitches, or are very vague in their explanations: "I hear the pitch and the name comes out by itself—G or D # or whatever." The reason for it is not only in the fact that people with inborn perfect pitch rarely analyze their perception, but mainly in the structure of their perfect pitch—in what component of pitch perception is predominant in it. We'll discuss it further on in this chapter. But in some cases the answer is different—"For me C and D, for example, are just like red and green colors—so different." This answer sheds some light on the perception of the pitch—at least one component of this perception is clear—I call it "component alpha"—it concerns the individuality of the pitch or the pitch "color" (a term, which I heard for the first time at Moscow Conservatory years ago—in Russian, and encountered again in the manual of D. L. Burge). We'll speak of this individual quality, of this "color" of the pitch later in detail. For now let us mention that pitch color is sometimes perceived as something analogous to visual colors—listening to musical tones a person can actually "see" colors—red, yellow, blue, etc. But in the majority of cases pitch color is only a certain individual quality of the pitch which can be defined by ear and formulated verbally, for example, bright or mellow, dark

or light, even round or flat, sharp or blunt, heavy or light by weight. If any person with inborn perfect pitch analyzed his or her pitch perception, it would be clear that there are components in it besides the sense of pitch color. Pitch is color, but it is also a place in a twelve-tone row of pitches. So, the second component of pitch perception, "component beta," as I call it, is the sense of location of the pitch. We shouldn't mix up the sense of pitch location with the sense of the register. Pitch location is only the place of a pitch in the twelve-tone row, the ear may perceive it in the great range of seven octaves, or in a limited range of two or three octaves in a certain register. The sense of pitch location is always blended with the sense of pitch color, sometimes being dominated by it, but often dominating subtly the sense of pitch color in pitch perception in such a way that a person is unable to tell how he or she identifies pitches. In some cases this domination of the sense of location over the sense of pitch color is so drastic that it leads to "dirty" perfect pitch—quite frequent slidings a half-step up or down. To cause "perfect perfect pitch" both components—alpha and beta—should be blended harmoniously. There is a resultative component which is connected at one and the same time with the sense of color and sense of location—I call it the sense of the row. We can speak of the twelve-pitch row in both aspects of pitch color and of pitch location, perceiving the pitch row as a moment of diffusion of each pitch color

Proponents of Ten Components 15

with the location of each pitch, given in succession. It is the sense of correlation of located colors or of colored locations—in the twelve-tone row. The perception of the pitch is also tied to the timbre of the instrument or voice which produced it. So the third component of pitch perception is timbre in which the pitch is enveloped. In many cases the timbre obscures the other components of pitch perception so much, that the ear is unable to identify pitches in more than one timbre—it leads to the timbral selectivity of perfect pitch. The fourth component of pitch perception is the sense of register, which sometimes is so excellent that a person is able to identify pitches without difficulty in any register in the full range of the piano. But sometimes a register obscures other components of pitch perception, this leads to range and register selectivity of perfect pitch. The fifth component of pitch perception is connected with texture, with horizontality or verticality of pitch units. Vertical pitch units, giving blending of colors, often obscure the perception of separate pitch colors of which this chord or interval is comprised, and interfere with other components of pitch perception, unless the chord is broken, which leads to horizontal selectivity of perfect pitch. Contextuality of pitch perception is the sixth component. Music consists not of separate pitches, but of certain logical sequences of them. The context in which the ear perceives the pitch—after what, before what, together with what—makes it more easy or more difficult to identify pitches. For universal perfect pitch this contextuality of pitch perception doesn't matter, but for some types of selective perfect pitch it matters, for example, if a pitch

is taken by leap to a less convenient register, or if in a certain chord, a particular combination of intervals between pitches is especially inconvenient—contextuality of pitch perception is connected with texture, with register, with intervals between pitches, with style and idiom. Further on we'll speak of contextual "recoloring" of the pitches. The seventh component of pitch perception is the sense of the overtone row*. As we know, the acoustic structure of each pitch is complex—each pitch includes other pitches as partial tones, thus each pitch becomes an acoustical rainbow, and the twelve-tone row—a rainbow of rainbows. Some people hear only the first 2-3 overtones, some are able to hear more. Not infrequently one meets with what I call an "overtone mirage"— when an overtone, usually one of the first, sounds more real to the ear than the tone that was really produced: a person most often names the pitch a perfect fifth higher than the given tone—for example, instead of C names G. The eighth component of pitch perception is the sense of gradations within the pitch, which gives the ear the possibility to tell whether a musical tone is flattish or sharpish. This component is characteristic of people with universal perfect pitch and some kinds of selective perfect pitch. The ninth component is what I call memory fusion of all the other components of pitch perception—the memory binds, unites simultaneously all these components in one instantaneous flash of recognition. Perfect pitch is perfect memory. Memory is the true clue to perfect pitch. The tenth component—I put it separately because it isn't connected with the ability to identify pitches by ear but is connected with the reaction of all the human


organism on the pitch that is heard. Especially pronounced is the muscle reaction. Many musicians, mostly vocalists, know how vocal chords react on the pitch, and often a person can identify pitches with the help of the tension of his or her vocal chords, being unable to identify them by ear. Each pitch causes certain tension of vocal chords and some people become very proficient in identifying pitches using their vocal chords. This way to identify pitches can be helpful, but any vocalist will tell you that it is not entirely reliable, because different times of the day causes different tension of vocal chords necessary to produce a certain pitch. There is also tension in the muscles of human hands when one hears the pitch. Some people can use this muscle tension of the hands as the means of identifying pitches in the manner of vocal chord tension. I don't forbid my students to use vocal chords as the means of helping the ear at the first stage of developing perfect pitch in those rare cases when they hum pitches at our perfect pitch lessons, trying to clarify for themselves a pitch: after all, we react on pitches with every cell, every organ of our bodies, but I don't encourage them to do so. *Each vibrating object (be it a string, or human vocal chord, for example) vibrates not only as a whole, but also parts of it vibrate—each half of a string, each third of a string, each quarter of a string—it produces socalled partial tones or overtones. The human ear can often perceive the first two or three overtones, sometimes—more, rarely we meet people who can perceive distant overtones.

The Overtone Row


5 U

To Have or Not to Have— That is the Question— or How to Gather the Pieces Together

p till now we analyzed only what it means to have perfect pitch. But the main goal for those who read this book is to find the clue how to develop perfect pitch. The knowledge of the mechanism of pitch perception of the people with inborn perfect pitch will be extremely helpful for those who develop perfect pitch—it will help explain certain peculiarities, problems and difficulties that arise on the way to developing perfect pitch, it will encourage one to go from lower levels to higher levels in one's development, those levels analogous to the types of selective perfect pitch. Let us speak now as to what it means not to have perfect pitch. The common point of view—with perfect pitch it is either all or nothing—either you have it, and then you have it all, but if you don't have it, it means that you have not even a rudiment of it. Our previous acquaintance with the levels of inborn perfect pitch, with selectivity of inborn perfect pitch in so many cases refutes the first part of this postulate. And now we'll refute the second part of this point of view. My pedagogical practice has convinced me that people who don't display perfect pitch in reality do have in them all the components of pitch perception we spoke about previously. Only those components are disconnected, like pieces of a Chinese puzzle that need to be assembled to make a picture. To have the highest level of perfect pitch is to have all ten components in harmonious unity, to have selective perfect pitch means that this har-

mony is somewhat lacking in a certain aspect or aspects. But in case a person can't identify pitches it means that as in a certain electric gadget you need to switch something on to make it work, to connect what is disconnected. In the future, the research on the human brain will probably shed light on the fact why some people possess this harmony, while other lack it. But my teaching experience showed me— what is lacking are not the components themselves, the components are there, the only thing that is lacking is memory fusion that would unite all the components of pitch perception in the explosion of recognition. And could it be that some components of pitch perception are switched on, actually working, while other are simply not switched on simultaneously with those working? So, how to gather pieces of the picture together? First and foremost, we should be aware of the fact that out of the ten components of pitch perception three are the most important—(i) the sense of pitch color (component alpha), (ii) the sense of pitch location (component beta) and (iii) memory fusion to unite them. These components determine perfect pitch—a flaw in other components may lead to selectivity of perfect pitch, but still a person will have a certain type of selective perfect pitch, but a flaw in these three components would lead to a person's inability to identify pitches. And, as a result of my teaching experience I have made a discov-

To Have or Not to Have—That is the Question... 18

ery that became the basis of my system of developing perfect pitch—I have discovered that all people who can't identify pitches actually have one of these most important components actively working, switched on—either the sense of pitch color or the sense of pitch location. The second component isn't switched on together with the first because of the absence of memory fusion. A person himself or herself may be unaware of the fact of having one of these components of pitch perception working. If it is the sense of pitch location that is working, it is a clearer picture—a person usually names the pitches quite near the actual pitch—a whole-step or even a halfstep lower or higher, but only by chance— correctly. This ability to approximately name the pitch sometimes produces a naive opinion that it is "almost perfect pitch"—though in reality it is only one of its components—the sense of pitch location—and until the sense of pitch color is switched on simultaneously, perfect pitch won't appear. It is a much more complicated picture when the sense of pitch color is a working component, and is switched on. I have discovered that universality of perception of pitch color displays itself in the phenomenon of this perception being acoustically determined, that is, colors group by fifths, and by thirds, the pitch that is a fifth or a third apart is usually

perceived as belonging to the same group of pitch colors. Some people group colors in pairs, for some—it is alternately three kindred colors—a pair of colors in a row, etc. I made this discovery, analyzing my own pitch perception, the pitch perception of numerous people with inborn perfect pitch and of those who developed or develop it, and, ultimately, studying the chart of Alexander Scriabin's associations of pitches with visual colors.* So, pitch colors group acoustically—by fifths and also, by thirds, therefore, a person, hearing a tone, can name a pitch, a color that belongs to the same group of pitch colors, but which by location is not near, for example C instead of F. These mistakes in location produce an impression, that the person is entirely devoid of the sense of pitch, though in reality it is only that the sense of location is not switched on together with actively working sense of pitch color. I want to describe now the test that I always give my students at the very first lesson: I play separate notes on the piano and ask each student to identify pitches that are given to him or to her effortlessly, in the most natural way. I give them the following explanation: "Of course you'll make mistakes, you as yet have no perfect pitch. But there will be logic in your mistakes, that will show me what component

* Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) , was a great Russian composer and outstanding pianist. The chart of his associations of pitches with visual colors:

#

#

#

C—red, C —violet, D—yellow, D —steel, E—pearly white, F—dark red, F —blue, G—rosy orange,

#

#

G —violet purple (alternately described as moonshine, frost color, bluish pearl), A—green, A —steel (the glint of metal), and B—pearly blue. Red F

Orange C

G

Yellow D

Green A

Blue E

Violet B

F#

Purple C#

G#

Steel D#

A#


of pitch perception you have as working actively today—the sense of pitch color or the sense of pitch location." And it is immensely important for students to realize that they actually don't begin from scratch, that already today, at the first lesson, they have in them half of what is necessary to have in order to possess perfect pitch. Usually at the test students who have the sense of pitch location working name pitches a whole-step or a half-step higher or lower than actual pitches, and those who have the sense of pitch color working name pitches a fifth or a third apart from actual pitches. And there are "mixed" cases—students in whom the sense of pitch color and of pitch location work alternately—in some cases they would name a pitch close by location to the actual pitch, and in some—akin by color—a fifth or a third apart from the actual pitch. Naming a pitch a tritone apart can happen in cases, when a person has a keen ear for overtones and hears not only the first 3-4, but more distant overtones too, and the "overtone mirage"—when an overtone sounds for a person more real than the pitch that was sounded on the piano—causes a person's wrong answer. Often students, especially those who play the piano, display one of the dimensions of the sense of pitch color by being able to tell by ear whether the key that was sounded on the piano is white or black, without as yet being able to exactly name the pitch. White and black keys of the piano as groups sound different in the terms of pitch color for the vastest majority of students. This fact confirms the universality of the law of perception of pitch color that is combined with the high individuality of this perception. Another aspect of the sense of pitch color I often notice in students and of

which many are aware themselves is what I call pitch—determined perception of intervals and chords. For such a student an interval or chord is recolored when pitches that comprise it change, for example, such a student after hearing C-F and then F#-B, asks: "Is it the same interval?" For such a person the perfect fourth F #-B doesn't sound the same way as the perfect fourth C-F, though the ear of such a person is yet unable to identify the exact pitches. And sometimes I meet students with awareness of pitch color—awareness more often of the color of the keys, rarely of separate pitches. Such students usually say that when they play, for example, it is very clear for them that the piece in D major sounds by color differently from the piece in E b major, but the memory doesn't keep these differences, so if they hear separately a triad, they are unable to identify it—D major or Eb major. So again and again we return to memory fusion. The majority of those who read this book can recollect how they or somebody they know could sometimes identify correctly a pitch or pitches, or a key in which a piece is written—as if in a moment of revelation, such memory fusions happen either in the moments of great excitement (mainly positive), of concentration—during a test, an examination, or, most often, in the moments of great relaxation. On the other hand, children, who are considered to have inborn perfect pitch, never display perfect pitch immediately after getting acquainted with pitches—especially if they begin music studies very young. Sometimes months, a year or even years elapse since the beginning of music studies until the moment of a sudden memory fusion that unites all


the pieces of the picture together into perfect pitch. And a question arises—if sometimes the memory fuses together the components of pitch perception as to cause recognition of the pitch, what prevents it, or what blocks it other times? On the other hand, if memory fusion ultimately comes to stay always, what prevented it from coming earlier? I will try to answer these questions on the basis of my teaching experience, in the next chapters. Here I would like only to mention that to cause memory fusion I devised a system of exercises that lead to gradual but complete restructuring of the mechanism of auditory perception. The human ear is extremely malleable—it is wellknown truth, and my pedagogical practice showed me that it is especially so in the aspect of pitch perception—the ear can be conditioned to identify pitches, the memory to keep pitches. The main purpose of this chapter is to give those who want to develop perfect pitch "from scratch" the clear notion that they actually begin not "from scratch," they already have one of the components of perfect pitch actively working, that is, they begin well, and "well begun—halfdone."


6 L

Esthetics of Synesthetic

et us analyze the component alpha—the first component of pitch perception, or so called pitch color. There are several dimensions of what we can call the individuality of the pitch or pitch color. One of the most important of them is the dimension one, as I call it— subtle, almost elusive quality of the pitch that in our auditory perception makes it different from other pitches and which can be formulated verbally by the majority of people. Definitions given to the twelve pitches are vastly different and reflect the person's musicality, his or her general intellectual and spiritual level, imagination and ability to formulate verbally the impressions of his or her musical perception. If to put aside the most interesting, individualized and exquisite definitions, we see that there is a set of most common definitions that are given to pitches by both adults and children and which led me to the conclusion—there is a universal law of perception, a universal way to perceive pitch color which coexists most peculiarly with individuality of this perception. These most common, simple definitions form two upper layers of dimension one of pitch color—the first of them— associations of mostly visual kind (this way we usually describe visual colors)— dark, light; bright, mellow, dull; warm, cold; murky, dirty, clear; transparent, opaque; the second layer brings about a broader circle of life associations con-

nected with weight, form, etc.—heavy, light by weight; sharp, blunt; round, flat, pointed; liquid, solid, etc. If to go deeper, one would seek poetical, mystical and philosophical meaning in each pitch that finds its expression in more complex definitions, and in the ultimate depths one seeks in the pitches the expression of positive and negative, constructive and destructive principles of Higher Forces, interpreting the twelve pitches as an ideal form which Higher Forces used to put into it the concentration of the most important contents, of most important information— twelve pitches are the code, to decipher which is to touch Eternity with its unsolved mysteries. On the deepest level one treats the twelve pitches as symbols of known and unknown entities, objects and abstract ideas. And finally one uses the twelve pitches as certain tools not only in a musical sense, but as sojourners on the way of Karma—as certain tiny containers of higher meaning that can bring about either consolation, relief physical or spiritual, well-being and even help from above, or something negative—sadness or even illness and destruction. So, layers of dimension one of pitch color—the first, upper, most obvious— simplest definitions, associations are mostly visual. The second, deeper layer brings about a broader circle of life associations. Still deeper—the layers of emotional and poetical associations—the first of them—simpler definitions—happy, sad, pleasant, unpleasant; beautiful, plain;

Esthetics of Synesthetic 22

then—the layer of more complex definitions—elegant, mysterious, nostalgic, cozy, sweet, bitter, bittersweet, plaintive, majestic, etc. Deeper on—the layer of more expanded poetic definitions; for example, A—cool as a summer breeze. The deepest layers of philosophical meaning are connected with abstract ideas—the first of these layers—abstract ideas as positive-negative, good-evil. Yes, we can speak of positive or negative energy, contained in each separate pitch, in this sense we can define musical tones as good or evil. Then, layers connected with abstract ideas which Higher Forces put into each pitch making the twelve-tone row a code. To try to decode the essential, deepest meaning of each pitch is a difficult, truly formidable task, requiring not only highly developed general musical abilities, and the ear first and foremost, but also a high general spiritual and intellectual level and poetically inclined mind. Here is my perception of some layers of dimension one of pitch color of the twelve tones: • C—in the shape of a sphere, heavy from inside, in between bright and mellow on the bright side, the idea of a heavenly body, of a planet, of a meteorite, the idea of intellect, outside—the crust, outside—the shell, inside—the core, inside—the contents. • C#—dark by color (brownish-red, the color of a dark brick wall), bright, it is a symbol of sorrow, a mournful note, a symbol of evil. • D—a mellow tone, light by weight and light by color, the idea of light, the idea of immortality of the human soul.

• Eb—mellow, grayish, metallic by tint, a symbol of the grayness of everyday life, the idea of acceptance and of humility. • E—mellow, a note-complaint, a note-supplication, the idea of sorrow of the earthly lot. • F—on the mellow side, heavy, but not from inside, as C, but from outside, F is a cornerstone, a notefoundation, a note-mainstay, a symbol of physical health and strength. • F#—very bright, hot, the idea of protest, the idea of rebellion, of dissent and discord. • G—a bright, beautiful, sweet note, transparent, liquid, the color of seawater, the idea of universal beauty, of creativity. • Ab—bright, a sweet, cool, fragile note, a symbol of transient earthly beauty, a tender, slightly sad note, color of light lilac, with the aroma of lilac. • A—bright, sparkling, warm, the idea of love, of God's mercy, a symbol of consolation, of spiritual healing, of organic life, the idea of protection from all evil, A is the most complex, multi-semantic tone for me, if to speak of deeper layers of pitch color. • Bb—on the bright side, warm, sweet, soft, a symbol of simple earthly joys, of domestic hearth, the idea of coziness, peacefulness, contentment. • B—in the shape of an arrow, very bright, piercingly intense, alarming, not very pleasant.


Yes, on the deepest levels one can perceive for example, C—as the idea of intellect, or the idea of heavenly body— planet or meteorite—outside—the crust, the shell—inside—the core. Or A—the idea of spiritual health, of love, of consolation, of organic life. As you see, one and the same pitch can be the symbol of several abstract ideas—each representing a level within a level, so to say, or different facets or sides of one and the same idea, or a set of ideas with one uniting underlying essential idea as the deepest layer of layers—which is at one and the same time the transcendental essence and the higher purpose of this pitch. At first you should be glad to perceive only the upper, more obvious layer of dimension one of pitch color. But for certain people sometimes deeper layers may be more obvious than the upper. And very rarely it happens so that the deepest philosophical, transcendental meaning of the pitch is clearer than the upper layers. Usually upper layers determine the direction of our thoughts on the way of decoding the layers. Also the upper layers determine our ability to recognize pitches, giving our memory something more definite, obvious and simple to rely on, while fusing together all components of pitch perception. Sometimes people perceive pitch color as directly analogous to visual color. This rare phenomenon is called synopsia or synesthesia—the cause of it is in the unusual work of the two analyzers— visual and auditory—which are switched on simultaneously when one hears a pitch unit, be it a separate tone or a chord. Such people can give the twelve pitches the definitions of visual colors—blue, green, red, yellow, etc. Often this phenomenon is interpreted as a serious disorder of perception, an ailment, but in my opinion, it is just one of the individual ways to perceive musical tones. Among the great

musicians this synoptical or synesthetical perception was characteristic of the Russian composers Rimsky-Korsakov and Scriabin, also the Lithuanian composer and artist Cürlionis, and the French artist Blanc-Gatti were known to possess this ability. Sometimes a person hearing the pitches sees visual colors with his or her mind's eye, so to say—these associations with visual colors are of purely esthetical character, a product of a highly impressive mind and imagination of a poet. Such way of perception of pitch colors was characteristic of Oliver Messiaen (1908-1992), the great French composer. Let us discuss other dimensions of pitch color. The second dimension is connected with timbre of the instrument or voice which produces pitches, with peculiarities of certain instruments—for example, all the white and all the black keys of the piano sound differently by color as groups, and many people, especially pianists, can tell whether the key is white or black by ear even without being able to name the exact pitch, perceiving only this one aspect of pitch color. And the same can be said about pitches produced by open and stopped strings of the bowed string instruments. The third dimension of pitch color is connected with register. Like tints of visual colors, the same pitches in different octaves, in different registers are perceived as lighter, brighter (if it is the higher register) or darker, duller, murkier (in the lower register). The fourth dimension of pitch color is connected with vertical pitch units— intervals and chords—which give blending of pitch colors in a manner visual colors blend. Some people think that pitches in intervals and chords are merely superimposed and therefore, it is possible any


moment to put mentally asunder what was simply assembled. But in reality pitch colors never coexist as separate entities within the chord. Each interval or chord gives such a blending of two or more pitch colors as to bring about the third color—a result of the blending. It led me to the definition "pitch unit" which I gave to any vertical element, be it interval or chord—by ear it is perceived as a unit, as one resultative color, no matter how many sounds the chord includes. The fifth dimension of pitch color is connected with contextuality of pitch perception. There is such a phenomenon as imaginary "recoloring" of pitches in human perception—it is like visual colors, for example, yellow, that is perceived differently on a red or on a blue background, the same is with pitches—a certain pitch would be perceived differently depending on the context, on the background of this pitch. After what it came, before what—it influences the perception of pitch color, not in a sense of rendering it impossible to identify the pitch, but in a sense of different feeling of this pitch color—something as if lost or maybe added to this pitch color in our contextual perception of it. At the initial stages of development of perfect pitch sometimes this contextual "recoloring" of pitches can cause difficulties. Further on, when pitch colors are clearer, this recoloring stops interfering with the process of exact recognition of pitches. This contextual "recoloring" of pitches led me to the concept of the "color of relationship"—that resultative color which comes on the intersection of the color of each separate pitch or each verti-

cal pitch unit and of the effect of "recoloring" of each unit when they are taken in succession: one serving as background color for another. The sixth dimension of pitch color is connected with the complex acoustical structure of each musical tone—the overtone row makes each pitch the blending of other pitches—they are present in it as overtones, thus making each pitch an acoustical rainbow, the twelve-tone row— a rainbow of rainbows. We spoke about pitch colors grouping acoustically—by fifths, also by thirds, that leads us to the concept of the universal law of perception of pitch color, which is combined with the individuality of this perception. The seventh (the most important, in my opinion) dimension of pitch color is what I call the "behavior" of each pitch. In my perception, each pitch has a certain way to direct itself when produced—up, down, straight forward or aside, and a certain shape ("wavy" or "straight"). These qualities of pitches seem to me (and not only to me—it was proven so many times during my pedagogical work with students) not to be connected to any particular timbre, but to be universal, displaying themselves on any instrument, in any human voice, in any timbre. It seems that I discovered a dimension of pitch color that lies on the surface enough to be perceived by every student to whom I introduced it. But it is necessary at first to show the way it is done. Usually, after I describe to students the first 4-5-6 pitches—where they go, how they "behave," the students can themselves tell me where other pitches go, and


their perception usually coincides with mine. So something universal that works for everybody lies in this, seventh dimension of pitch color. I happened to give my students a truly reliable, easily perceived, Note

C

most useful tool for them to be able to recognize pitches and to keep them in memory, something definite and concrete. So, the table below gives you what is necessary to start to recognize pitches:

Description

Visual

Goes down, at first having a curve; then it falls down straight. The fall is long.

or Goes straight forward.

D

E

Goes aside. It is a “wavy” pitch. Waves are not too small, and they are not very fast. For some, it goes always to the left, for others—to the right.

F

Goes down, but unlike the fall of C, which is long, actually endless, the fall of F is short, as if it falls on your lap and stays there.

G

or

Behaves in a more complex way—at first it is as if it jumps just a bit; then it goes straight forward.

Goes up; it is a “wavy” pitch with a shape of a narrow spiral that goes up.

A


Note

B

C#

Eb

Description

Visual

Goes up precipitously, like an arrow; it is a “straight” note.

Goes down, like C, but unlike C, it is a “wavy” pitch. It goes down (for some—to the right, for some—to the left).

or

Is also a “wavy” pitch. It goes forward in small waves of this shape: the “waves” move (“hop”) much faster than “waves” in E.

Behaves in a rather complex way—it swirls on one plane in a way of ripples in a pond where a stone was thrown.

F#

Ab

Bb

or

Goes up, but with an initial “scoop,” goes up fast, almost as precipitously as B. “Straight” note.

or

Goes gradually up, as if climbing up a small hill, not fast. “Straight” note.

Of course, all pitches are produced by vibrations, so scientifically speaking, all of them are "wavy." But in our perception it seems that some of the pitches have these vibrations more pronounced for our

ears, and some pitches, in our perception, have less pronounced vibrations so I call them accordingly: "wavy" or "straight".


All "straight" notes on some instruments can behave so as to repeat the process I described several times while the pitch lasts, for example: Ab

Bb

Don't mix this multiple-stage process with "wavy" pitches. It is much slower than "waves" in "wavy" pitches. During the lifetime of a pitch it can be repeated 2-3 times. Of course, vibrato on bow-strings causes this process to multiply itself a million times while the pitch lasts, then it becomes truly a "wavy" pitch. The eighth dimension of pitch color is what I call the "aura" of the pitch. It seems to be a very personal way of reacting to pitches, but it is not something that is perceived only by me, my students react to the aura of pitches, even being unaware of it, naming the pitch of the same aura instead of the given one, for example, A instead of F#. There are: • 3 'Fire' pitches, all of them are hot or warm by my perception—A, F#, Bb. • 3 'Water' pitches—E, G, Eb, all cool or cold. • 3 'Earth' pitches—C, F, C#, all go down. • 3 'Air' pitches—D, G#, B, all light by weight, going up or forward.

G

F

Fire pitches go up, with the exception of F#, which is a strong subterranean fire, that swirls, being contained, for a time—before eruption. Usually for people born under Fire Zodiac signs pitches with Water aura are a bit more difficult to master, and for people born under Water signs—pitches that have Fire aura offer some resistance. All this makes sense—all people are bundles of energy, and twelve pitches are also bundles of energy! So we do react—no matter, whether we are aware of it, or not—to the kind of energy, that certain pitches contain, it maybe consonant or dissonant with our energetic make-up, and also it can influence us in a positive or negative way. Especially children are sensitive to the energy that the pitches exude, some of them say, for example: "This note is strong" (about F) or "This note is an enemy, I'll fight it" (about C#), or "This note is a dear friend; I want to hug it" (about Bb), or "This note is like a murky water; I don't want to come near" (about Eb), etc. More about what my children— students say about the pitches will be in the book Perfect Pitch for Your Child.


So to summarize all about the "behavior" of pitches, we receive the following picture (and this is what will deter-

mine your pitch recognition as the most important component in your relationship with pitches):

Note

Description

Visual

C

Heavy, round as a sphere, goes down with a curve in the beginning, then— straight. Fall is long. C is between bright and mellow, on the bright side. Energetically positive. Earth aura.

or

C#

Heavy, unpleasantly bright, reddishbrick color, “wavy” pitch. Energetically negative. Earth aura. Goes down.

or

D

Eb

E

Light by weight and color. Mellow. Cool. Energetically positive. Air aura. “Straight” pitch, goes straight forward.

Mellow, with greyish tinge, “wavy” note, goes (“hops”) forward in small fast waves. Water aura. Energetically negative. Cold.

In between bright and mellow, on the mellow side. A “wavy” note, goes aside in not so small slower waves. As a note—supplication, it is energetically neutral, assuming whatever energy a supplicant puts into it. Water aura.

or


Note

Description

F

Firm, on the mellow side, though less mellow than D, and its mellowness is different in character from that of E; E—gentle mellow, F—firm mellow. Energetically positive. Earth aura. Goes down in a short fall.

F#

G

Ab

A

Very bright, hot, swirls on one plane as ripples swirl in a pond, in which a stone is thrown. Fire aura. Energetically negative. There is something unpleasant, too garish in its brightness.

Visual

or

Sweetly bright. Energetically positive. Water aura. Goes at first a bit up, then—straight forward. G is the note that is the most complex by its behavior among all the pitches; it undergoes the greatest change from octave to octave, losing a part of its brightness in the lower octaves, especially in the octave just below middle C. Cool, bright. Energetically positive. Air aura. Goes up precipitously with a scoop in the beginning. After scoop— “straight” pitch.

or

Very bright, brilliant. Energetically positive. Very warm. “Wavy” pitch. Fire aura. Goes up fast enough, like a narrow spiral.


Note

Description

Visual

Sweetly bright, not overly bright. Warm. Energetically positive. Fire aura. Though opposite by aura, by

Bb

B

the character of its brightness Bb is nearer to G than to B or A. Goes up slowly, as if uphill, but not a very high hill. Very bright, with something piercing, pointed in its brightness. Air aura. Goes up precipitously like an arrow. I perceive it as neutral energetically— for me it is just a pitch-carrier that would assume any energy that was put into it by the sender of a message it carries up.

I described only the qualities of pitches that lie on the surface enough to be noticed by everybody. I again repeat and emphasize, that these qualities—direction, waviness or straightness, aura, energy, are intrinsic, universal qualities of pitches that I discovered, on every instrument and human voice the pitches would have these qualities. Vibrato only multiplies the processes described by me a million times. But direction—up, down, forward, aside, also aura, energy—all will remain even when a pitch is played vibrato. I want also to emphasize again the fact that "straight" pitches on some instruments (for example, on some pianos) would multiply the process described several times while the pitch sounds, but it is easy to tell, that it is just a couple of repetitions of one rather lengthy process, not "waves" in "wavy" pitches, which should be very short and frequent. Some students of mine tell me, that they perceive "waves" in "wavy" pitches as a series of tiny interruptions in the sound while the pitch lasts. Some perceive actually small "waves." It is understandable, that the processes I described—this going up, or

down, with "waves" or without them, will be faster in the upper register and slower in the lower register. This slowness contributes to the phenomenon that the behavior of each pitch is clearer for the human ear in the lower octaves (with the exception of the lowest, "muddy" octave). Now you have in this description all you need to start to recognize and recall pitches. The initial stage is to start perceiving those qualities in pitches I just described. It is always a moment of great joy for each student, when something that was not clear or vague becomes clear— "Yes, it does go up (or down, or aside)." Gradually your correct way of perceiving pitches brings about their recognition, and recall—your memory now has a tool it didn't have before, and on what it can truly rely.


7

Is There a Flaw in the Universal Law?

I

n the previous chapters again and again we returned to the idea of universal regularities in the perception of pitch color. Let us dwell upon this topic more. 1. A more general level of universality of pitch perception is the set of definitions most frequently used to describe pitch colors, and the order of those definitions that corresponds to the levels of pitch color: the upper level—usually definitions from the world of visual colors, then—definitions connected with weight, form, etc., then definitions connected with certain emotional states, moods, and ultimately—definitions, connected with abstract ideas. 2. Another aspect of this universal regularity of perception of pitch color is in the fact that the most important for us, the seventh dimension of pitch color is perceived the same way by the vastest majority of people. Other dimensions of pitch color give greater variability of definitions. But how come? Is there a flaw in the universal law of perception of pitch color? No, the reason for it is in the inner complexity of the characteristics of pitch color, that gives many possibilities of individual variants in definitions—one and the same pitch at one and the same time may belong to the group of bright and at

the same time warm, or light pitch colors, for example. This inner complexity is the cause why a certain person perceives only one side, one aspect of pitch color, other sides of it stay unperceived by this person, but may be perceived by other people—one feels only that this pitch is cool, another—only that it is dark, a third—only that it is harsh, etc. 3. Universality of the law of perception displays itself in the phenomenon of grouping of pitch colors in our perception, and especially so in the fact, that this grouping is acoustically determined—that is, pitch colors group in our perception mainly by fifths and thirds. Universal regularity here is combined with individual interpretation of it in the order of what groups with what for a certain person. 4. White and black piano keys sound differently as groups for almost everybody, the same with stopped and unstopped strings of bowed string instruments. 5. When the register or the octave change, the changes in the tints of pitch colors are perceived in the same way by everybody—the higher the register or the octave, the lighter is the tint of pitch color, the lower the register or the octave—the darker, duller is the tint. Also as a universal rule—pitch colors are generally clearer for the

Is There a Flaw in the Universal Law? 32

vastest majority in the middle octaves, middle register. 6. Another universal rule—generally it is easier to perceive pitch colors horizontally than vertically (though sometimes one meets people with whom it is vice versa), and contextual recoloring of pitches displays itself more drastically in certain combinations of pitches for everybody—for example, I have noticed, that while developing perfect pitch, the vastest majority of students experience difficulties in perceiving the pitch color of tones a seventh or ninth apart from the previous and also a tritone apart from the previous. We'll address this problem in the next chapters.

difficulties for everyone, there are ways to overcome them which are similar for everybody. What is possible to analyze from the point of view of the universal rules is possible to develop.

Why was it necessary to speak at length of the universal regularities and rules in our perception of pitch color? Because this particular sphere—seemingly so individualized—the sphere of pitch color—was the cause of perfect pitch being considered for such a long time as a mysterious, unapproachable, only inborn phenomenon: the seeming absence or lack of universal regularities here scared people away from trying to develop perfect pitch. But as soon as the universality of certain laws or regularities is discovered, it becomes by itself a mighty tool in finding a common treatment, a common approach or a system in all spheres of life, and in this particular field—in the sphere of developing perfect pitch—it gives everybody who wants to develop pitch ear a clear notion—what and how one perceives is the same as it is with others, the difficulties one encounters are the same

Is There a Flaw in the Universal Law? 33

8 I

Is There an Explanation of the Sense of Pitch Location?

n comparison with the sense of pitch color the sense of pitch location seems to be less complicated. But I emphasize—only seems. In reality it is even a more elusive and inexplicable component of our pitch perception—component beta, as I call it. It is blended with the sense of pitch color in a certain balance in people with any kind of perfect pitch— either in happy equilibrium with it, or being slightly dominated by the sense of pitch color, or dominating the sense of pitch color, determining by it the type of perfect pitch. In people who can't recognize pitches the sense of pitch location can be actually working but without being united by memory fusion with the sense of pitch color, in this case a person can name pitches near—a half-step or a whole-step higher or lower than the actual one. Or the sense of pitch color can sometimes dominate the pitch perception, the sense of location being not switched on simultaneously with it because of absence of memory fusion. So what is the sense of pitch location? First and foremost, don't mix it up with the sense of register. If we have a great range of several octaves everybody is able to tell whether a tone is very high or very low or somewhere in the middle. Very often the perception of whether a tone is high or low is tied to the timbre, and timbre obscures it so that on some instruments a person can't determine the register of the tone, especially whether it is

middle, or middle-high, or middle-low. Of course very low and very high tones are perceived as such, no matter what is the timbre. But this is not the sense of pitch location, it is the sense of register— another component of pitch perception— that is working here. The sense of pitch location—a much more complex, refined and subtle component of pitch perception—is the sense of the place of a tone in the twelve-tone row regardless of the octave or the register. Of course, the perception of pitch location is connected both with the sense of register and timbre thus causing selectivity of perfect pitch. Maybe, someday research on the biological structure of the human brain will lead to an explanation of the phenomenon—why is it so that the person who is unable to name pitches exactly is nevertheless able to name them always approximately there by location—a half or a whole-step lower or higher than the actual pitch. What is the mysterious mechanism of it? With pitch color it is really so that each pitch has certain individual qualities, though maybe not all of these qualities lie on the surface, but many—somewhat deeper within. But these qualities seem even less elusive, more understandable even in their complexity, than this strange ability to feel not whether a tone is low or high, but to feel the place of a tone in the tightly packed row of twelve pitches which many times repeats itself and with each octave changes the tints of pitch col-

Is There an Explanation of the Sense of Pitch Location? 34

ors—it is as if each pitch is hanging in the infinity, it is like being able to find the proverbial "needle in a hay-stack," or being able to perform a juggler's trick or a miracle. So the sense of pitch location today defies explanations. But people do have this ability, and like all the components of our auditory perception, it can be developed, it can be improved and perfected. Certainly, the sense of pitch location is connected with the sense of pitch color, at least some sense of pitch color is necessary to cause exact recognition of the pitch, the same way the sense of pitch location is tied to the sense of register and of timbre. But this component beta—the sense of pitch location—does exist as a separate component of pitch perception— in those who being unable to name the exact pitch always name the pitch a half or a whole-step lower or higher than the actual pitch. And it is confirmed by the existence of "dirty" perfect pitch and by the fact that many people with inborn perfect pitch, on the question how they recognize pitches, either would just plainly say that it is location that they perceive first and foremost, hearing the pitch, or are unable to explain how they perceive pitches. As soon as there is a definite sense of pitch color that dominates in pitch perception, a person can easily analyze and explain his or her mechanism of recognition of the pitches. But as soon as the sense of pitch location dominates in pitch perception, a person is mostly unable to tell anything about how he or she perceives and recognizes pitches. And it is really impossible to describe how one feels the location of the molecule that hangs literally in thin air. On the intersection of the sense of pitch location and the sense of pitch color there exists also a no less mysterious sense of the row of pitches. Sometimes students

with "dirty" perfect pitch would mention—today all the row as if moved a halfstep lower or higher, this usually causes persistently wrong answers—all of which slide a half-step lower or higher than the actual pitches, but absolutely correct within the row, which is as if transposed up or down a half-step. Sometimes people who develop perfect pitch may answer the first note incorrectly—not only the sense of color and of location of each pitch is unclear at this time, but also the feeling of the row is not firmly established—but as soon as the first note is correctly identified with the help of a teacher or a partner the row, as if, restores itself and all subsequent answers are correct. This may persist even in the middle stage of development of perfect pitch. The sense of the row is fully established only in the last stage of development of perfect pitch. This explains the phenomenon of sometimes losing the row in the middle of the answer—as if for a moment a person is thrown out of the row—some students call it "temporary blackout." The sense of the row is restored again, after the mistake is corrected. But don't think that this moment of restoration of the row is actually a moment of receiving a certain orientation point with which to compare the next note, though only involuntarily. It is not so. The sense of the row is not another name for relative pitch. It is a very complex resultative component of pitch perception which can be defined as a moment of diffusion of each pitch color with location of each pitch which forms a succession in our mind. We perceive the twelve-tone row as a succession and correlation of located colors or colored locations. Sometimes I think—these separate located colors or colored locations are only


ribbons of the rainbow, only pieces of stained-glass. The whole twelve-tone row is a whole rainbow, or stained-glass window. To be able to keep in mind, in your memory, this stained-glass window is to have a sense of the row fully established. Pitches are not isolated units. Nothing can be identified and labeled as an entity in itself, so to say. Even when we speak of pitch color—of something that deals with individual essence and meaning of each pitch, we perceive those pitch colors at one and the same time as being the color of each separate pitch and in comparison and in connection with other pitch colors—the way colors group, the way we perceive this pitch color, for example—B is very bright, G, is not so bright comparatively, A is warm and G is comparatively cool. The same is applicable to pitch location—as soon as we pronounce this word—location—we think about something that is near something, next to something, in-between something. Though the location of each pitch is something unique, pertaining only to this pitch, still we can't help perceiving each location as a part of the row, in terms of what pitch goes before it, what goes after it. There is a question—at what pitch to begin and consequently, to end this twelve-tone row? For many people the pitch C is somewhat basic, and therefore, the most convenient pitch to start the count of the twelve pitches. But for many this first point of the row may be A or G or another pitch. In people who develop their perfect pitch it is especially often—to feel a certain pitch as basic—this pitch may be singled out by them as such a basic one because of the greater ease with which they recognize it—easier than other pitches—the memory for some reason keeps this pitch better than the other.

In time, when a person moves further and further along the road of development of perfect pitch, the amount of these especially convenient tones will increase. I have noticed that tones such as B and A, and also F#, Bb and Ab, D and F are the pitches that are easier to recognize for the vastest majority of students. At the first stages of development of perfect pitch in my students I try to play them as the initial pitch one of those pitches easier for them—this helps instantaneously and correctly to establish the row. Sometimes if a person hears as the first pitch a not yet convenient pitch for him or her, a mistake occurs. Some people think—if a person didn't recognize the first pitch given, it means that perfect pitch is not even at the first stage yet. But in reality what happened is only that the row wasn't switched on at that moment, the initial pitch wasn't convenient for it, but as soon as the mistake is corrected, the row is restored, all the other answers can be correct. At certain stages of development of perfect pitch certain tones may serve as a catalyst or, on the contrary, a hindrance in the switching on of the row. So, we keep in mind and in memory not only the separate color of each pitch location, we also keep in memory a succession of located colors or colored locations—a veritable rainbow of pitches. A phenomenon of hearing or seeing with our mind's eye all the rainbow together, and each separate colored location or located color on the background of all the other located colors gives additional dimension to the pitch perception and creates additional problems for those people who develop perfect pitch.


9 T

What Color is the Relationship, or What is the Relationship of Pitch Colors?

hough perfect pitch and relative pitch are two different functions of the human ear, there is an unquestionable connection between the two— perfect pitch is by no means separated from other functions of our ear, and the process of development of perfect pitch is tied in many aspects to the level of development of relative pitch, first and foremost in the aspect of its being developed on cultivated soil, so to say, and also there are other important aspects of this connection. We spoke of the component of contextuality in the human perception of the pitch. If the pitch is being perceived also contextually, it means the tie between perfect pitch and relative pitch is greater, deeper and more significant than it seems at first. One of the facets of this tie is the happy balance between those two functions of our ear that makes the ear really versatile, all-rounded. The dominance of perfect pitch without the necessary development of relative pitch leads to perfect pitch being the master of your auditory perception instead of the servant, and therefore, not much of a helper. This connection between perfect pitch and relative pitch displays itself as especially obvious, multi-sided and significant during the process of developing perfect pitch. Many students with well-developed relative pitch complain that they can't help comparing the tones they hear. I usually answer them: "Your being able to compare involuntarily the tones you hear and to

instantaneously, effortlessly recognize the intervals between them won't prevent your ear from listening to the other aspects of these tones—to pitch color and location of the given tone. Do not try to suppress this ability—to compare tones— if it is done involuntarily, it won't harm the development of perception of pitch color and location, but of course, you shouldn't specially make efforts to compare. Your well-developed relative pitch will do you a good service at the first stage of your work at the development of perfect pitch—it will help you follow your partner (or your teacher) and not to lose the feeling of the pitch row." How often students comment that for a moment they, as if, lose the feeling of the pitch row, as if they are thrown out of it and for a second feel absolutely disoriented. After this small catastrophe the ear recovers for the next few seconds, and then normal perception of the pitch row resumes. Such occurrences are more frequent with students who can't follow their partner, who gives them their pitches— that is, with students whose relative pitch is undeveloped or underdeveloped. What I mean by following the partner—after the first note is given, is to effortlessly notice whether the next pitch is up or down from the previous one, whether it is taken by leap or is a neighbor, and if it is taken by leap, whether this leap is big, medium or small. I have noticed that, strange to say, the majority of students identifying pitches easily in various other contexts,

What Color is the Relationship... 37

experience difficulties as soon as the tone is taken a minor or major seventh, or a minor or major ninth, or a tritone up or down from the previous note. We spoke of contextual recoloring of the pitches and pitch units, and in certain context two pitch colors played one after the other obscure or even kill each other, like sometimes flowers put in one and the same vase do. In such cases relative pitch can help—after all, a neighbor will always stay a neighbor, no matter in what octave it is given, on what distance, a second, or seventh, or a seventh four octaves up, or a ninth—so actually the pitches a seventh higher or a ninth lower are both only neighbors from below, and the pitches a seventh lower or a ninth higher are both neighbors from above. For well-developed relative pitch it is easily comprehensible—instantaneously, when hearing one pitch after the other, thus helping the newly-born sense of pitch color that at first may fail in certain contexts. For those whose relative pitch is not developed enough I offer the trill exercise: Play on the piano different pitches on the distance of a seventh and ninth up and down and to try to mentally relocate the pitch that is on the distance of a seventh or ninth to the trill position towards the first note—for example, to take C, then B a major seventh higher, and then to relocate B an octave lower and to trill mentally or at first, singing aloud—you'll receive a trill C-B—two nearest, neighboring pitches, B in the trill will be below C, though actually it was taken a major seventh above. The same is with a ninth—take, for example, G, and then A, a major ninth above, and then mentally relocate A to the trill position towards G. It is even an eas-

ier exercise—A in both cases remains above G. I emphasize—this is only an exercise for the initial stage of development of perfect pitch, for those with underdeveloped relative pitch—just to help the ear cope with so many aspects of pitch perception, especially with one of the trickiest—with the dependence of this perception on the context. Later on, there will be no necessity for this or similar exercises—the ear will get adjusted to the main components of pitch perception—to pitch color and pitch location, and the memory will keep the pitch row. But in the initial, and sometimes, even in the middle stages of development of perfect pitch one should use all resources, everything at one's disposal to make the ear adjust to the row of pitches, including the ability to involuntarily recognize the interval between pitches and to use it to stay in the pitch row, and to avoid mistakes. The same way well-developed relative pitch is helpful to follow the partner when vertical units—intervals and chords, are given. Sometimes for certain students the moment of contextual "recoloring" of the pitch units is so acute as to cause constant mistakes when for example, the triad is given on the distance of a tritone from the first—acoustically these two triads are antagonistic to each other. So often I tell my students—there is a color, a compound pitch color of each of these triads, and there is, as if, a color of relationship between them—a certain complex individual quality of the succession of pitch units in time—not unlike the color of separate pitch units, but infinitely more difficult to formulate verbally. As if it is the third, the most complicated aspect of pitch color—first being the color of separate pitch, second—the compound color of vertical pitch units—a blending of two


or more pitch colors that give us a third, new color, and the third aspect—a very complex category—the color of horizontal relationship of horizontal or vertical pitch units, when the compound quality of the color is not a simultaneous blending, but a successive demonstration of the color components in time, that unite in the most complicated manner in our ear not unlike how a certain visual color unites in our mind with the color of its background. I offer the following exercise while working at triads with my students: Play and listen attentively to all possible variants of relations between the first and the next triads, for example, play C major and then play an F# major triad, trying to grasp the color of relationship together with the separate color of each triad. Then play C major and E major; C and Eb major; C and A major; C and Ab major; C and B; C and Bb; C and Db; C and D major; and then C in combinations with all minor triads of the 2nd and 3rd degrees of kinship. The memory gradually will learn to keep the color of relationship together with the color of each separate triad. Of course, mainly there is no need to do this exercise with triads the relationship of which is simpler—relative major and minor and other relationships of the first degree of kinship. But in case of more distant relationships between the triads this exercise helps at the initial stage of work with vertical units. I have met students for whom contextuality of pitch perception was actually helping in recognizing pitches. For these students to write down a melody, a logical succession of pitches was a much easier task than to recognize separate, disconnected pitches. And I have met many with the opposite way of pitch perception— when a person was at a loss as soon as it

was necessary, for example, to transcribe a melody, at the same time most successfully developing recognition of separate disconnected pitches. So in this second case to overcome this tie of pitch perception to the context means to develop relative pitch first and foremost—the instantaneous and involuntary recognition of the interval and function within a scale that will work combined with the sense of pitch color and location of each separate pitch. My teaching experience proved to me that if to have an inborn perfect pitch, it not always means that all that is pertaining to the relationships between the pitches is easy. I have taught students with such types of inborn perfect pitch when the sense of the pitch was so dominating in the balance of the functions of the ear, that the pitch unit, for example, interval, was perceived only as a combination of certain pitches, and if it was necessary to recognize the interval, it was impossible for such students to instantaneously, parallel with the pitches, recognize the generic color of the interval, and the painful process of calculation often began—how many whole and half-steps there were between the first and the second pitch, how many degrees of the scale... Especially it is painful when perfect pitch is "dirty," and, therefore unreliable—then it is very easy to name one or both of the tones a half-step lower or/and higher, and therefore miscalculate the interval. So it is necessary to make the ear really versatile, able to recognize the intervals and chords by their special generic color, which is not connected with pitches it comprises. There is one more aspect of color, connected with our auditory perception— the generic color of each interval and chord—which is considered a much


more obvious quality than pitch color. One should learn to recognize it the same instantaneous way as pitches. In an inexplicable way sometimes the sense of pitch color, as yet not fully developed as to cause perfect pitch, but which nevertheless is there, interferes with the perception of the intervals and chords. Such students after hearing the minor third C-Eb and then F#-A will ask— is it the same interval? Usually such students are considered at the lessons of conventional ear-training as having a tough ear, because they persistently give unstable answers—for them the same intervals or chords sound differently when pitches change though they are as yet unable to name the exact pitches. Such students as a rule are those who develop perfect pitch the easiest and swiftest way and who then may develop excellent relative pitch when the perception of each interval and chord will be connected for them with pitches— on the basis of being able to tell the exact pitches. So, you see, the connection between perfect pitch and relative pitch, the interaction between these two functions of human ear and the balance between them are multi-faceted, deep and of paramount importance.


10 N

Perfect Pitch and Relative Pitch— Allies or Enemies?

ow we know that the connection between those two functions of our musical ear is obvious and unquestionable—though relative pitch and perfect pitch develop seemingly independently, in reality they compliment each other, they are close allies. The development of one function is helpful in developing another. The more cultivated your ear is by development of relative pitch the more successful the development of your perfect pitch will be. Relative pitch, as you already know, helps when you develop perfect pitch in all transitional stages—to follow a partner, and, therefore, not to lose the pitch row. You can also figure out relatively the pitches that comprise a chord or an interval after recognizing one of the pitches, usually the lowest or the highest. Perfect pitch, whether inborn or developed, helps the ear handle the sphere of relations between musical tones by making it easier to transcribe a melody, to write down music you compose, to sight-sing, etc. Perfect pitch and relative pitch are interdependent. Contextuality of pitch perception is the first aspect of this interdependence. The "color of relationship" we spoke about in Chapter 9 is one more aspect of the interconnection between perfect pitch and relative pitch—this resultative color which comes on the intersection of the color of each pitch unit and of the effect of specific "recoloring" of each unit on a certain background. But perfect pitch and relative pitch are allies only in case of normal harmoni-

ous development of these functions of our ear. In some cases, as we know, perfect pitch and relative pitch can become enemies instead of allies. There are people in whom perfect pitch suppresses all the other functions of the ear, especially relative functions—such people can name the pitches of the interval or chord easily, but the generic color of the interval is not clear to them—they literally figure it out, whether D-Bb is a fifth or sixth, a major sixth or a minor sixth. This inconvenience persists for quite a time, especially so when perfect pitch is "dirty." And sometimes relative pitch is so developed that it persistently interferes when a person starts to develop perfect pitch. Such people for a long time can't get rid of the habit of comparing pitches; though the pitch color is quite clear for them, still they feel their relative pitch is so entirely reliable and comfortable that they continue to compare even when they realize that there is no need for it. Such cases can be difficult to handle—sometimes the perfect pitch of such people remains always underdeveloped and incomplete. On the other hand, many students while developing perfect pitch try to artificially suppress all the relative functions of their ear, being afraid to compare pitches. It is the wrong way to go. The right way to develop a really versatile perfect ear is to seek the balance, the harmony between perfect pitch and relative pitch, being able to sometimes sac-

Prefect Pitch and Relative Pitch—Allies or Enemies? 41

rifice convenience of old reliable habits for the sake of acquiring new concepts, new ways of aural perception, and on the other hand, being able to use all the means at your disposal to reach the desired result. But the main goal of this chapter is to disprove certain myths concerning the interconnection of perfect pitch and relative pitch and to shed some new light on it. Many people think relative pitch is the lower level of perfect pitch, and if perfect pitch—the higher level of one and the same aural perception—is only inborn, relative pitch can be developed to the highest level of proficiency in just everybody. It is a myth. Though interconnected, perfect pitch and relative pitch are two different functions of the human ear. My teaching experience has proved to me many times—relative pitch that is truly excellent, that immediately or very soon after getting acquainted with intervals and chords will give you 100% exactitude and marvelous speed in recognizing intervals and chords, and especially, which gives the same high exactitude and speed in writing dictations of more complex kind (chromatic, with big leaps, two, three, or four-part) is as rare a phenomenon as universal perfect pitch. People are somehow convinced that good or even excellent relative pitch is something that is given to almost everybody, or that at least relative pitch is something that is easy to develop. But it is far from the truth. In reality to develop truly excellent relative pitch—such as would give you the ability to recognize all intervals and chords in any arrangement absolutely exactly and instantaneously, and to write excellently music dictations of any kind relying only on relative pitch—takes more

time and effort than to develop perfect pitch. People are remarkably patient and tolerant with the results of their relative pitch ear-training. Somehow the idea that the highest level of relative pitch is available to everyone (though it is not a true notion) helps people after years spent on relative ear-training to put up with rather modest results of their efforts. In reality relative pitch, like perfect pitch, consists also of many levels, and to climb this relative pitch ladder is not easier, in fact it is harder to climb it, if to rely only on relative pitch (if you don't have the help of perfect pitch) than to go from level to level of perfect pitch. Let us now speak of the interconnection between these two kinds of auditory perception. The phenomenon of "recoloring" of intervals and chords when pitches of which a unit is comprised are changed (for example, the perfect fifth will sound differently—brighter or mellower, if it is BF#, or Ab-Eb)—is the reverse side of the phenomenon of "recoloring" of pitches depending on the context, on the background. That is—contextuality of pitch perception is the same phenomenon as pitch-determined perception of intervals and chords. This pitch-determined perception of intervals and chords we meet sometimes in people who can't recognize exact pitches as yet, in whom all components of pitch perception weren't bound by memory fusion, but who nevertheless feel that the same interval sounds by color differently if the pitches that comprise it change. The same can be said about the "color of relationship"—we can reverse it and receive "relationship of colors"— which expresses itself in the resultative component of pitch perception—sense of the twelve-tone row.


The rainbow of located pitch colors tinges the rainbow of the degrees of the scale. All this leads one to the conclusion—all musical tones that are related are pitches, and all the pitches that are used in music are related, are in certain kinds of relationships. Music doesn't consist of separate tones. Therefore the idea that perfect pitch deals only with separateness of pitch units is absolutely wrong and in my opinion is the main obstacle in the way of developing perfect pitch for so many people. Perfect pitch is the kind of auditory perception that also deals with relationships between musical tones, only the aspects of these relations are different from those connected directly with relative pitch. Relative pitch deals only with final results of relationships between pitches. Perfect pitch deals with all the process of relations between musical tones, beginning with the initial stage—determining the individual quality of each separate pitch, going through other stages— the next—locating the color of each pitch, as soon as we add location to the color we begin to deal with relations between the tones; because location means that something has its place below or above or between something, that is, in a kind of relationship towards something, thus on the intersection of the sense of pitch color and sense of pitch location the sense of pitch row is born. If to speak of contextuality of pitch perception, which means that each pitch is recolored depending on what is the context, what is the background—again we deal with the result of relations of a certain kind between the tones—that is—with horizontal correlation of their colors. When we perceive vertical units—intervals and chords—we deal with the blend-

ing of pitch colors that unite in a new, resultative pitch color of the whole unit— and we also deal with a certain aspect of relations between the tones—their interblending, which gives generic color of the unit—be it, for example, a major triad or perfect fourth. Function of the tones within the scale is the final result of the relationships between the tones, when artificially constructed sequences of horizontal intervals—mainly seconds—create a certain kind of interdependence and subordination between them. But this hierarchy within the tonality is always pitch-colored. On the intersection of tonality as hierarchy of functions of musical tones— and pitch position—pitch location of this tonality—the key is born. Horizontal sequence of intervals creates a mode, a series, a major or minor scale. It is a more general, abstract kind of relationship. Pitch position makes the relationships within the mode, the scale— concrete. Instead of an abstract major scale—the key of D major, for example. Instead of algebraic symbols—concrete figures. All kinds of relationships between musical tones belong at one and the same time to both the spheres of relative pitch and perfect pitch—only in different aspects. For example, the direction of the horizontal line—downward, upward; the kind of motion—stepwise, or by leaps, what kind of leaps—large, small, medium, what kinds of intervals—a perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, minor third—are between pitches, repetitions within the horizontal line—all this creates the context, that can "recolor" pitches, influence the perception: A after B in the same octave is perceived by the ear differently than the same A taken by a big leap after B in another octave, or taken by a medium leap, after D in the same octave. A pitch at


the distance of a perfect fifth from the first is perceived differently than this same pitch if it is the distance of a major seventh or a tritone from the first. A melodic line, which is a succession of certain intervals and certain functions of the degrees of the scale from the point of view of relative pitch, becomes significant in the aspect of perfect pitch not only because concrete pitches make an abstract sequence of intervals and functions a concrete melody in a concrete key, but also in the sense of including all twelve pitches or omitting some, of emphasizing certain pitches by repetition, rhythmically or metrically (on notes of long duration, or on heavy beats). The same is with vertical units—a perfect fifth, or major sixth or minor sixfour in the aspect of relative pitch will remain a general, abstract, algebraic unit, with emphasis on something pertaining to all perfect fifths, major sixths, etc. Only the pitches that comprise the unit give it its concrete character, its individual color— the major sixth D-B or the minor triad FAb-C. Relative pitch deals with the sphere of the abstract form of the relationship, perfect pitch—with the concrete contents of it. But—in both cases—with relationship. So never make an awful mistake suppressing your sense of relations between the tones while developing perfect pitch—perfect pitch also deals with relations between the musical tones—giving them their concrete meaning, as if breathing life into an abstract idea.


11 O

Perfect Pitch— a Servant or a Master?

ne of the questions the students who come to me for the first time most frequently ask: what are the advantages of having perfect pitch? So many musicians are without it and still do very well. Maybe perfect pitch is just a luxury, something one can do without. And sometimes they mention those musicians who complain that perfect pitch actually is a bit of a nuisance for them: they can't play a piano if it is out of tune and can't listen to a recording of a piece if this recording sounds a micron lower than the key in which this piece was written. I always answer them "yes, the majority of professional musicians are without perfect pitch because as an inborn ability it is not so often met." In Russia, in a musical encyclopedia, it is written that only 5% of all people on the Earth are born with perfect pitch (I always thought—what to consider an inborn perfect pitch—as you already know, there are many kinds of it, and therefore, 5% only if to count those who were born with universal perfect pitch), and unfortunately, the idea of developing perfect pitch was, and still is, not so popular because of the complete ignorance of the majority of people—how to approach this problem, what is necessary to do to develop perfect pitch, because of several fumbling, awkward attempts by certain teachers who did more harm than good to the idea of developing perfect pitch with their hasty, immature approach to this problem. Advertising din accompanying

such attempts added even more negative elements to discredit the idea of developing perfect pitch. But always there were and there are teachers who are really successful in their work with students and whose students do develop perfect pitch—many—selective perfect pitch, and some—universal perfect pitch. Perfect pitch is not a luxury, given mysteriously to some lucky guys, with which they themselves don't know what to do, it is a necessity for any musician, professional or amateur, because perfect pitch is not only about how to tell F from G! Perfect pitch first and foremost means perfect musicianship. Surely this is the ultimate goal of everyone who comes to music, no matter, professionally or as an amateur. Piano teachers, whose students attend my perfect pitch class, tell me that they notice in their students great improvement in memorizing, in tone-production, in general ear alertness—of all functions of the ear, improvement in general musicianship, in the ability to sightread, to transpose. And of course, my system of pitch ear-training helps in the same way students who play string and wind instruments, composers and vocalists. For those who compose music, perfect pitch helps in imagining mentally and in writing down their music, in choosing the appropriate key for music of certain character, in choosing the right pitch position for each vertical and horizontal unit they use in their pieces, in improvising.

Perfect Pitch—a Servant or a Master? 45

It is clear to everybody that perfect pitch will give numerous practical advantages to every musician. But also it will help to reveal to you unimaginable, as yet, depths and heights—leading you to the realm of the transcendental, of great mysteries, tuning both your ear and your soul in consonance and in unison with the Higher Forces, that sent to us those tiny containers of Divine Message—all this through twelve musical tones, twelve pitches. One will ascend to an absolutely different height of musicianship, penetrating into the deepest layers of philosophical and poetic meaning of each pitch, each key, each vertical unit, etc. To purely practical advantages of having perfect pitch we should add the ease in tuning instruments for those who play string instruments, in being able to say when your piano needs tuning, and in stopping being an "outsider" when you listen to music— by being able to identify the key of the piece you are listening to, you'll "enter in," you'll be "let inside" the music you listen to! But you should be able to make your perfect pitch, even from the initial stage of developing it—your servant. Some people, even with inborn perfect pitch feel that their perfect pitch is the master, not a servant, this is the cause of certain inconveniences such people experience—they simply don't know how to use perfect pitch in a right way—making it always serve them. From the very first moment you get acquainted with the concept of pitch color, you should be able to use your newly acquired awareness of individuality of each pitch, of each key, adding to your concept of the pieces you play another dimension, which previously wasn't there—it will help you throw in bold relief all modulations, enjoying while you play

the individual color of each key, it will help emphasize certain details connected with pitch color you didn't think of emphasizing earlier, even if you are as yet unable to identify by ear all those pitches or keys—this will come later. Even at this initial stage of development of your perfect pitch you will improve your tone production—it is based on auditory imagination, and this kind of imagination is being developed from the very beginning of your pitch eartraining. Have you ever noticed the key of the piece you play? Often a student is unable to tell what it is when asked. Have you ever done pitch analysis of the pieces you play? After noticing what is the key of the piece, have you noticed, for example, what concrete pitches are omitted, what pitches are repeated and how—in a row or on a distance, in the same octave or not, what pitches are emphasized rhythmically—by notes of long duration, what pitches are emphasized metrically—appearing on heavy beats, how the horizontal line moves—upwards, downwards, stepwise, or by leaps? If there are leaps, then in what direction, what is the range of the theme, in what register it will sound? All this pertains to the spheres of our perception, connected at one and the same time with perfect pitch and relative pitch, as if on the intersection of these two spheres. After that, analyze what are the functions of the tones of the theme within the key in which it is written, what are the concrete intervals between sounds—all pertaining to the relations between the musical tones. Notice not only the key signature—notice all the keys used in this piece, all the modulations—in the choice of the keys, in the choice of concrete pitch units—horizontal and vertical—the great


composers showed that they sensed that just those keys, those pitch units possess certain qualities, certain meaning for them—try to decipher this meaning! Those who compose music—even if you are as yet unable to always tell one triad from the other by ear, but are already aware that all pitches, all pitch units are different essentially, that they possess certain individual qualities, you'll be able to choose the key for your composition wiser than, for example, the key Tchaikovsky chose for the first movement of his First Piano Concerto (I always thought that the bright, majestic introduction would sound much better in D major than in D b major). You'll think: "Why do I use the fifth A-E, not Ab-Eb, or G-D, or why the seventh CBb, not B-A or C#-B?" Or: "Am I right in beginning this piece with the pitch position of my twelve-tone row that starts on F#? Maybe better to try another pitch position?"—the problems, the questions you have never thought about before, or if thought, then these thoughts were never fortified by a system, by the knowledge of this particular sphere. Now these problems, these ideas begin to be in the focus of your attention! From the start of your pitch eartraining, from the very first steps of development of perfect pitch your compositions will become more interesting, more logical and diversified, with another dimension added to them, the same way another dimension is added to the pieces performers play. So, I emphasize again—perfect pitch is not only discrimination of pitches. From the very first steps in developing perfect pitch it can yield immediate practical results, adding to your performances, to your compositions a new dimension,

enabling you to feel and understand concepts you weren't aware of before. The process of developing perfect pitch will awaken your general ear alertness, improve other functions of your ear—relative pitch, for example, improve your musical memory, which, even with only your awareness of individuality of each pitch unit, each key, receives a mighty help, a mighty support when memorizing pieces. Further levels of developing perfect pitch will bring about still greater positive changes in your general ear alertness and in your musicianship. The advantages you'll have are innumerable and unquestionable. One should always keep in mind— to have perfect pitch as a servant is to develop it in harmony with all other functions of your ear, with relative pitch, and to be humorously tolerant to small inconveniences which you'll begin to experience when you listen to an untuned piano, for example, or flattish or sharpish intonation when somebody plays a bowed string instrument. The great advantages and benefits you will gain when you develop perfect pitch out-weigh a million times some minuscule inconvenience connected with it.


12 I

Memory Fusion— Problems and Solutions, or a Layer in Time Saves Nine

n previous chapters we spoke about memory being the clue to perfect pitch, about the ninth component of pitch perception—memory fusion—that binds together all the other components of pitch perception in an instantaneous flash of recognition. What is the reason that sometimes the memory keeps pitches effortlessly and always—in people with inborn perfect pitch; and sometimes the memory doesn't want to bind together the components of pitch perception at all, making them completely disconnected; and sometimes it works erratically and unpredictably, one day giving the person the possibility to recognize pitches and another day, not? In my opinion, the answer to this is in the field of a holistic approach to our body and mind. Dr. Jacob Liebermann in his book Take Off Your Glasses and See writes that we see actually not only with our eyes—every cell in our bodies takes part in this process, every cell is equipped with its own apparatus of vision. The same is with our auditory perception—we hear not only with our ears, we perceive and analyze auditory information with every cell in our bodies, not only with our ears and brains, and we store this information not only in the recesses of our brains—but everywhere— in every fiber of our bodies. But body and mind form a unity in every aspect. There is an old saying: we see things not as they are, but as we are. We can adjust this saying to our topic—we

hear things not as they are, but as we are; and we remember things not as they are, but as we are. So what we are—our general physical state, state of mind, unresolved inner conflicts, fears, uncertainties, peculiarities of our way of thinking, of perceiving the world—all this influences our ability in principle to keep or not to keep pitches in memory—if to mean the long-term layer of the problem. Your daily state—physical and moral, your mood today, today's problems and conflicts—being tired, unwell, upset, angry—or today's positive events and feelings will influence your perception and your ability to memorize, and will bring about those shifts in results, this instability of memory fusion I mentioned before—our pitch memory can be blocked and unblocked depending on what we are today—what we feel and think today—if to speak of the short-term aspect of this problem. If the color of certain pitches is not clear, and it is often the cause of memory being unable to keep pitches, it means that inside you something is not yet clear, not resolved. One of the most important prerequisites of excellent and stable memory fusion is the ability to relax, to put aside today's worries and troubles in the shortterm aspect of the idea, and to restructure, to clarify your perception, to get rid of fears, to heal, to resolve inner conflicts, uncertainties, to reinforce positive aspects of your world outlook in the long-term aspect of the problem.

Memory Fusion-Problems and Solutions, or a Layer in Time Saves Nine 48

"Out of sight, out of mind"—this saying is very well applicable to those who can't memorize pitches. Let us adjust the saying to "out of ear, out of memory." To keep pitches in memory is the part of being able to perceive the world and to react on it holistically—the way, when we always carry effortlessly all the world inside us. We permit the world to enter us, and at the same time we are the part of the world, the world lets us in, we are in full harmony with it. Perceiving and reacting on the world this way, we can possess what I call "true knowledge" (by analogy with "true ear" of Konstantin Saradjev). "True knowledge" is holistic knowledge which will always stay with us, because it is part of us, we permitted this knowledge to become part of us, we, as if, diffuse with the knowledge, and what is an intrinsic, unalienable part of us that cannot be forgotten! Whereas people who don't yet practice this approach easily forget even what they well know at this moment—all this is also applicable to musical pitches. To have an inborn perfect pitch memory is to have a part of this "true knowledge." In people who develop perfect pitch the ability to keep pitches in memory gradually develops from shortterm (out of ear, out of memory), to middle-term, and then to long-term, through several intermediate stages. Memory reacts on different pitches in a different way. Some pitches can be kept in memory easier than the other for a certain person, because in many cases pitch color of certain pitches is clearer than pitch color of other pitches. Those pitches the color of which is clearer can be retained by memory better even at the initial stages of developing perfect pitch. Also memory fusion works better in the

more familiar, more convenient register and timbre. At more advanced stages of developing perfect pitch a tone not recognized in a certain octave can be recognized if given in another octave. For example, I play for the student Ab in the highest octave of the piano, it is not recognized, then I play this pitch in all the other octaves and usually it leads to recognition of the pitch—memory fusion begins to work in a more familiar, more convenient octave and register. So, how do you stabilize, smooth out memory fusion in all octaves? What is necessary to be able to commit pitches in all octaves to long-term memory? For it I use the method which I call "the method of putting on layers." The gist of this method: after all the pitches in all octaves on the piano were mastered by a student and certain individual instabilities became clear—what register is less convenient (for some—upper, for some— lower), what pitches are more persistently elusive than the other—we begin to put on a second layer, that is, to work again with pitches in each octave of the piano, but the order of adding the octaves is different. Usually we begin the second layer with the second octave above middle C, then we move up, taking two upper octaves, then—two lowest octaves—at first the lowest but one, and then, the lowest, this way encircling the two most convenient and familiar octaves, with which we usually start developing perfect pitch—two octaves—one above middle C and one below it. After we took all those octaves, we return back to those convenient two— above and below middle C, thus locking the circle, and beginning the third layer, only this time, for the third layer, we move down—we take at first two lower octaves, then three upper, then return back to


those two middle octaves etc.—this cycle can be repeated as many times as it is necessary to smooth out, to stabilize the memorizing of all pitches in all octaves for each student, according to his or her individual tempo of development. Some students would prefer to start the second layer from lower octaves, then to take upper octaves, in this case the order of octaves taken in the second and third layers will be reversed. For some students it is enough to put only a second layer, for pitch memory to become long-term. But this is rare. For many it is necessary to put three and more layers. Of course the next layers will require an absolutely different approach to pitches than the first one. The first layer is a beginning—a student gets acquainted with the concept of pitch color, ties pitch color to certain pitch locations, learns roughly to keep pitches in memory, to recognize them with increasing accuracy and speed. In the second layer a student starts already being acquainted with the pitch color of each pitch, being able to locate pitch colors, to recognize pitches, separate and in intervals and chords, being able to keep pitches in memory, only not yet stable. So the second layer means that the student goes deeper in his or her perception of pitch color and pitch location, therefore it is necessary to introduce new exercises—more complex than before. In the octaves on which the second layer is put, it is necessary to cause complete and thorough committing of pitches to the long-term memory, so in the octave (octaves) a student is currently working on, a teacher should give a student together with separate pitches all kinds of vertical pitch combinations, all kinds of horizontal successions of sounds—tonal and atonal (random "volleys" of pitches (see Appendix II)—four, five, six pitches

in a row, tonal melodies the way it will be described in subsequent chapters), and of course, aural recall should be demanded from the student; to imagine, to recall pitches exactly in that octave or octaves a student is currently studying as the second layer octave or octaves. While working thoroughly in a certain octave (or octaves) on the level of the second layer a teacher shouldn't neglect other octaves—it is necessary to continue to work at them as it is usual for the first layer. A detailed description of all exercises follows in the next chapters. As regards to relaxation, necessary to acquire true stability of your memory fusion, I advise to practice the technique of meditation, Ayurvedic or any other style or another relaxation technique, for example, Alexander technique.


13 T

All About Aural Recall

o be able to recognize pitches is externalized perfect pitch. To be able to recall pitches from memory, to imagine them—is internalized perfect pitch. To recall pitches from memory is one of the aspects of the inborn perfect pitch—it is also an ability that can be developed. Some specialists consider aural recall one of the highest levels of perfect pitch. And really, the ability to recognize pitches comes to people who develop perfect pitch, often easier and faster than the ability to recall pitches from memory, to imagine them in every octave, in vertical units. This is especially true, if to speak about the initial stage of developing perfect pitch. It is evident for everybody, that when one hears a pitch, one reacts on what one hears immediately, but when one tries to imagine a pitch one only tries to revive in the memory how he or she previously reacted on this pitch. But that is precisely the reason that I usually start aural recall with my students when all twelve pitches are recognized (by them) more or less accurately in 3-4 octaves, that is, when the pitches are committed more or less to the long-term memory, and therefore, the attempts to recall them are not so frustrating, as they can be, if to start recall at the very beginning of the process of developing perfect pitch. On the contrary, at this stage many students even enjoy the recall of pitches that are already quite familiar.

There is one more reason not to hurry with the introduction of aural recall. There is an aspect, that makes aural recall of separate pitches quite an easy and comfortable process—the possibility to always imagine the pitch in the register, in the timbre, in the octave that is the most convenient and clear in terms of pitch color for you. Often for women—it is the octave above middle C, for men—the octave below middle C, sometimes convenient octaves may be even in the low or high register. But this feeling—what octave is more convenient, together with clarity of pitch colors comes not at once—not at the very first stage of development of perfect pitch, so I advise to begin aural recall not at the beginning, but later on. It is much more difficult to imagine a pitch in a concrete octave, and still more difficult to imagine it in a concrete timbre, so aural recall is subjected to timbral and registral selectivity the same way the ability to recognize pitches is. Imagining pitches—aural recall is the most mysterious part of perfect pitch and can develop in the most inexplicable way. There are people with whom aural recall is preceding many stages of development of pitch recognition. Some students can exactly recall pitches from memory even before their newly-developed perfect pitch is expanded in the terms of range and vertically. There are also people, whose perfect pitch is entirely or partially internal-

All About Aural Recall 51

ized. Those people can recall pitches from memory, can imagine not only separate pitches, but pitch units—triads, intervals. But it is much more difficult for such a person to recognize pitches when he or she hears them. It is as if their external auditory perception is somewhat blocked, whereas the inner function of the ear— auditory imagination—is working excellently. But such people are rare. Much more often it is vice versa—it is difficult for a student to imagine with their inner ear even an interval or a triad. This ability should be developed gradually—from being able at first only to imagine a generic color of the interval or chord—for example, how a major triad or minor triad sounds, how a perfect fifth or minor second or a major sixth sounds, no matter what pitches the unit comprises. Then, the next stage—to be able to follow with your inner ear a musical score, imagining how the music sounds, following only the relations between the sounds—at first only to imagine separate parts—melody, then, accompaniment, then trying to imagine how all parts sound together, regardless of the pitch aspect of it; again, following only the relations. The next stage—to try to imagine separate pitches in the octave easiest for you. Then try to imagine vertical pitch units in this convenient octave—at first— triads, for example, F-A-C, or D-F#-A, then—all intervals and other chords. At first you'll be able to imagine vertical pitch units only breaking them into separate pitches, but the goal is to be able to imagine them vertically, without breaking them—exactly how they sound if all pitches are played together. To be able to do so it is necessary to be very well acquainted with how these vertical units sound—to play them many times on the piano, listening to the generic color of each

unit and to the pitch color of each of them, to work at them with a partner. In time you'll be able to expand your aural imagination in the terms of register—to be able to imagine pitches and pitch units in all octaves. Then try to follow a music score, imagining exact pitches in separate parts—melody, accompaniment, and in parts, combined together. The difficulty students encounter most often is that they slide a half-step or a whole-step down or up, or even more than that, "missing" the necessary pitch color. Only in time the memory begins to keep exact location of each color, as a student goes from stage to stage—from the acquaintance with pitches—to "dirty" perfect pitch—to horizontally and registrally selective "clear" perfect pitch in the range of two, then three octaves, then expanding it to four or five, etc., octaves—to vertically selective perfect pitch etc. Both recognition of pitches and aural imagination go through all these stages. Another difficulty students encounter quite often—the difficulty to imagine vertical units purely vertically, without at first mentally breaking them into separate pitches. At first I allow my students to mentally break the units, to imagine first the separate pitches, but then it is necessary to unite them mentally—to try to imagine how the unit sounds vertically. For some students it helps greatly in developing their aural recall if they try to recollect a certain triad, reviving in the memory a musical piece they know well or are playing now, which is in a certain key, for example, in Bb major. That, for one of my Russian students, was always connected with Prokofiev's "Alexander Nevsky"—with that chorus in Bb major.


One more consideration: when you externalize your aural imagination by singing the pitch, your vocal chords themselves often can prompt you, "correcting" your purely mental image of the pitch. As you already know, our vocal chords react on pitches with certain tension, and this, maybe, is one of the reasons people sometimes show better recall than recognition of pitches—there is the possibility of vocal-chord help for them in their recall. Every student should strive to develop a harmonious balance between pitch recognition and aural recall, usually it is only a question of time—it comes gradually. I address more about exercises developing auditory imagination, and the inner ear in "Grow a Row Stage II," Chapter 17.


14 V

Start Smart

ery often those who come to my class to develop perfect pitch ask me at the start: "Will my developed perfect pitch be exactly like inborn perfect pitch?" I always answer: "And what kind of inborn perfect pitch do you mean—horizontally selective or timbrally selective? Or selective in the terms of range? Or all three? Or maybe you mean "dirty" perfect pitch? This you will have for sure. If you want higher levels of perfect pitch—it depends on your perseverance, courage, patience, and your desire to reach this higher level." Yes, reaching the higher level of perfect pitch is for patient and courageous people—for those who are not afraid to plunge into the unknown and for those who work persistently and patiently, expecting not an immediate result, but a deep and complete though gradual restructuring of the apparatus of their auditory perception. The main enemy of many who wish to develop perfect pitch is skepticism, which makes some people impatient with their progress—they seek immediate proof that it is, indeed, possible for them to develop pitch recognition, and they want the results to come in the shortest possible time. Instead of a system of exercises, such students expect to find a sort of "philosophical stone" with the help of which they will be able to wake up the next morning and find themselves transformed into entirely new beings, endowed with full-blown universal perfect pitch!

But to approach the development of perfect pitch realistically, one should be ready to work for some time—to work diligently, using the offered system of exercises, going patiently from level to level, gradually accumulating the necessary skills. How much time you will spend on developing your perfect pitch is always individual, and it depends on the level of perfect pitch you decide to reach. There are people who develop perfect pitch fast and harmoniously, some progress by fits and starts, some—overcoming difficulties in the beginning, then progress fast, some—move faster at the initial stage, but then begin experiencing difficulties, and ultimately overcome them and progress fast again at the later stages of the process, some accumulate skills at first slowly but steadily for quite a time, and then have a sudden qualitative leap and move very fast. To cut the long story short, there is an infinite variety of individual ways and tempi of developing perfect pitch. I want to be absolutely honest with those who are familiar with the advertising: "Perfect pitch in a month!" I do not believe it is possible to develop perfect pitch in a month! Minimal time for the happy few is two semesters—that is, a full school year. For the majority, however, it takes a longer time—three, four, or more semesters of study. But ask yourself, if you want perfect pitch at least at the level of vertically

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selective, isn't it the process, analogous to learning to play an instrument? Perfect pitch is a technique, and to develop a really good technique of, for example, piano playing, you need years. Yes, years of adjustment of mind and hands to the keyboard. The same is with perfect pitch—to adjust your mind and your ears to the keyboard of pitches takes time. Of course, less time than one needs to become a virtuosic piano performer. But, nevertheless, much more time than some advertisements profess. Some of you who master the system of exercises offered in this book will be able to achieve the highest level of pitch recognition and recall. But for some to develop perfect pitch would mean to have only selective perfect pitch as a result, because perfect pitch is virtuosic auditory technique and, as with playing an instrument, some reach the highest level of virtuosity, others, only a certain level of it. Still it is wonderful to have perfect pitch even on a selective level! Much depends on your own aspiration towards a higher level, but in many cases your impatience, lack of belief in the possibility of reaching a higher level, and also lack of diligence in practicing at home will hinder the progress. So—"How do you begin?" What do you need, when you start your perfect pitch exercises—no matter whether you attend perfect pitch class, or start this system of exercises with a partner or on your own? First and foremost you should leave behind three things—your skepticism, your fear and your tension—three main obstacles that blocked your ear until now. From now on your motto will be— "patience, courage and relaxation." Add to it joyful inspiration and you will have the

necessary frame of mind to start your journey to perfect pitch. Your physical and emotional state always influence your perception—so if today you are upset, unwell, tired, preoccupied, or angry, agitated, unhappy, or happy, joyful, jubilant—all will tell negatively or positively on your perception this day. Of course, often you can't help being upset, or tired or whatever, but I ask you not to be discouraged by the result of such a day. You should know—in a different emotional or physical state you will do much better. What else will you need? A piano at home for practicing. Electronic keyboards are out of the question, if they are not touch-responsive. You can, however, use a digital piano that is touch-responsive. The piano is chosen as an instrument for developing perfect pitch by the majority of teachers who teach pitch recognition. The reason for it is in the fact that the piano is acknowledged as one of the instruments on which the individual qualities of pitches—pitch colors—are the most obvious to the human ear. The piano also gives all possible registers in the great range of more than seven octaves, and gives all possible vertical combinations of pitches—thus a student using only one instrument can gradually develop perfect pitch in all octaves, in all registers used in music, and go from horizontal to vertical perfect pitch. Of course those who play instruments other than piano, will want to identify pitches on those instruments. That will be much easier—but not a single other instrument gives such an infinite amount of vertical combinations (with the exception of the organ and harpsichord) and such a great range. Practicing at home with a partner is the best way to practice. You can also

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practice at home yourself the way it is described in the next chapters, working with a partner or a teacher at least once a week. It is very important to organize home practicing correctly and on a daily basis. It is much easier for children as they will always have a parent or a sibling as a partner, and they have time for their studying. For adults it is much more difficult—to find time every day to practice at home, but it is best to organize it. Time spent on these daily home sessions will vary—some will need 5-7 minutes, some—10-15, at the first stage. In the later stages it will be from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on your general level of musicianship, your background in eartraining, your personal difficulties and peculiarities of development of pitch recognition and recall. Also, it is desirable to have at least some background in ear-training, at least somewhat developed relative pitch, this will facilitate the process of development of pitch ear. For those who never had any eartraining it is better to begin with some time (at least one semester) of relative pitch ear-training before starting developing perfect pitch. You can start your perfect pitch lessons at any age—there are no limitations in this aspect.

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15

Grow a Row Stage I

S

o how do you correctly begin the process of developing perfect pitch? How do you start to grow a row of pitches, gradually changing your auditory perception, committing pitches to memory? All exercises I give my students I unite in several groups, with exercises on developing the following: i Sense of pitch color. ii Sense of pitch location. iii Aural recall iv Auditory imagination. v Pitch perception in a context. My students develop perfect pitch with the help of the piano (I remind you— you shouldn't use an electronic keyboard that is not touch-responsive), as I have already mentioned in Chapter 14, "Start Smart." We start with getting acquainted with the individuality of each pitch. Many students experience a moment of great inspiration and joy when they at the lesson start to notice how each pitch "behaves"—usually I explain the behavior of 4 or 5 first pitches, and students themselves figure out the rest. Some students, after realizing that there exists something within each pitch they previously didn't perceive, didn't notice, will usually ask me: "How come that we have never perceived all this before? Maybe, you just explained to us this concept and we ascribe to each tone a meaning, a color, a behavior which is in reality not there for us?"

I answer always this way: "Up till now you have never perceived the twelve pitches as I explained. The reason for it is the same as for everybody who starts learning something new—only after some time, learning more and more, you can show all your latent abilities for it. For example, when you start playing the piano, only very few would have an inborn, natural hand position. All others must be taught, must be shown what to do, how to hold their hands on the piano. But later on a person with inborn hand position and the person who was taught how to position the hands on the piano may show equal progress. Only the gift of the second person was latent, till the teacher awakened it. The same is with perfect pitch— some naturally, without help from outside perceive everything that should be perceived in the pitch, but many need help from outside to awaken their latent ability to perceive the pitches the way I just described." The initial stage of the work begins with four pitches—C, E, G, B, and only in two octaves—above middle C and below middle C. Why those four pitches? My pedagogical experience convinced me that these pitches are the easiest pitches to begin with: C is being perceived as somewhat basic by the majority of people, all four pitches are on an approximately equal distance from each other, and the bigger the distance the easier it is to locate the pitch—bigger distances facili-

Grow a Row Stage I 57

tate the perception by giving better indication as to the location of each pitch, it is the closeness of spaces in the row of twelve pitches that is the main obstacle to perceive exact pitch location, also these four pitches are so different in their behavior: • C—goes down • E—aside • G—after a small jump goes forward • B—up I remind you— • C—heavy, in-between bright and mellow, more on the bright side, the fall is long • E—"wavy," mellow and gentle, also plaintive • G—sweetly bright • B—very bright, piercingly so, going up precipitously Read again attentively Chapter 6, "Esthetics of Synesthetics." So we start with four pitches with the distance of a third from each other. There is only one place where there is a half-step between pitches—the space between B of the octave below middle C and the middle C itself. But as the pitch colors of these two pitches—B and C are drastically different, this closeness presents a very small or no difficulty. At the first lesson a teacher, however, should present all 12 pitches to the student(s), to play them to the student(s) on the piano and to explain the "behavior," the color of each of the 12 pitches: "This is C, it is heavy, it is in-between bright and mellow, more on the bright side, it goes

down like this..." Then draw the pitch C on the blackboard:

C

Also show it with a gesture. I have students, who develop gesture reaction on pitches, and this is very helpful at the first stage of developing their pitch ear. Then play C#, explain, draw on the blackboard and show with a gesture its behavior, etc.

C#

This way you will explain the "behavior" of the half of the pitches, (4-5-67 of them in the lower part of the octave above middle C, the exact number will depend on how the students react on your explanation) and all the rest of the pitches just play, for students themselves to try to figure out the "behavior" of each pitch, but you should immediately help, if you see, that the student(s) have some difficulty, especially with such pitches as F #, G, Ab, the "behavior" of which is more complicated. Help the students, asking questions: "Is it wavy or not? Does it go up or down, or stay on one plane? If on one plane, does it really stay, or does it move in a certain way—does it swirl? Is it bright or mellow?" etc.


How does the student work correctly with C, E, G and B? First and foremost, clear for yourself the seventh dimension of pitch color of all four pitches. Some colors may be quite clear for you from the start, some will be persistently unclear, in some cases—at first you'll perceive a certain pitch color not in a way I explained, but then, after getting acquainted with pitches better, your perception of this pitch color will change, to the direction I showed. So concentrate your efforts on four pitches—C, E, G, B, play them on the piano, listening attentively to each of them only in two octaves mentioned above, while listening, try to penetrate the individual character of each pitch, its behavior, where it goes, whether it is wavy or straight, and what is its individual essence. Then compare these colors, this way you'll begin to group them, to establish a row of them. This way you'll begin to also perceive each pitch contextually— on the background of what preceded it, and thus from the very first steps encounter the problem of contextual recoloring of pitches and learn to overcome it. Perceive the location of each pitch in the row, try to diffuse mentally both feelings—of pitch color and of pitch location, play pitches at first in the octave above middle C, then—in the octave below it, perceive the difference in the tints of pitch colors when the octave changes—this way you'll encounter and begin to overcome another difficulty—the tie of pitch perception to the register, to the octave. For some the octave above middle C will be easier to work with, for some— the octave below it. In time it should not make a difference. Let your partner play these four pitches on the piano, in both

octaves, in all possible horizontal successions, for you to recognize them. Also you should work with all possible vertical combinations of the same four pitches—there will be a small number of intervals and chords: • two perfect fifths C-G and E-B • two perfect fourths G-C, B-E • two major thirds C-E, G-B • a minor third E-G • two minor sixths E-C, B-G • a major sixth G-E • a major seventh C-B • a minor second B-C • two triads—major (C-E-G) and minor (E-G-B) • major major 7th chord (C-E-G-B) and their inversions. Listen attentively how each of these intervals and chords sound, paying attention to the third, resultative, color that comes up as a result of blending: how, for example, the presence of heavy C in the fifth C-G makes it much more solid and substantial that the fifth E-B, in which the piercing brightness of B that goes up makes this interval bright and very light by weight. Some of you will be able from the very first steps to perceive the intervals and chords vertically; that is, when the interval sounds unbroken. Sometimes one of the pitches will be clearer than the other (others), and it is possible to figure out what is the second pitch using relative ear. But many will have difficulty in discerning the pitches in unbroken intervals and chords. In such cases it is necessary to break the interval (chord), that is, to play the sounds of it in succession for the student to perceive it horizontally. Many people at first can only develop a horizontal perception of pitches, only later on moving to vertical combinations, to unbroken intervals and


chords. So let your partner play the intervals and chords comprised of these four pitches in a way that is convenient for you—unbroken, or broken, vertically or horizontally. What you can also do yourself, without a partner, is listen to each of the four pitches—you play the keys at first, closing your eyes (switching off this way your visual analyzer, concentrating only on aural perception) and then—opening you eyes, playing these keys again and listening with open eyes, thus checking and reinforcing your perception, always paying attention to whether you still perceive with open eyes all that you perceive when your eyes are closed. But in all cases it is necessary at least once a week to meet somebody who can play the keys on the piano for you—to check your progress. If you are a teacher who intends to develop pitch recognition in your students with the help of this book—tell them at the end of the first lesson that their homework will start with only four pitches—C, E, G, B—in the range of two octaves, above and below middle C. At the next lesson(s) play for your student(s) at first separate pitches C, E, G, B in one octave, then in another, then leaping—giving pitches, alternating the octaves—one pitch in one octave, one in another. Next give the student(s) horizontal progressions—random "volleys" of sounds, or small melodies—as oral dictations. Then—give intervals and chords comprised out of the four pitches C-E-G-B in a way convenient for the student—ver-

tically or horizontally. Finally give a written dictation—a melody comprising these four pitches. If you teach a group, ask each student to recognize separate pitches, playing for each student the full set, so to say—as I described above, then—give each student 1-2 oral dictations, that consist of 4-5 sounds, then—intervals, chords—better to give each student one interval or chord at a time, going through many "rounds" of it; this way students will stay more alert and attentive even towards the end of the lesson. I again emphasize—horizontal succession can be just random, the way for each pitch to sound as if it is separated from others, or it can be a short melody, utilizing only these four pitches—C, E, G, B, or it can be a "volley" of three, four, or five sounds only—3-4-5 pitches given in rapid succession—for a student to listen to it 2-3 times, to memorize it and to name the pitches in it (examples of such "volleys" are in Appendix II). Parallel with this I always offer students a creative exercise—to compose small melodies from only these four pitches—C, E, G, and B, using rhythmic patterns. Even the simplest patterns, such as the Rhythm Line shown at the bottom of this page can give a great variety of combinations—pitches used only in one octave, pitches used in both octaves— leaping to and fro etc. While playing the pitches, singing them in the process of filling in the rhythmic pattern, try to pay attention to pitch color, to the pitch location of each—this

Rhythm Line


exercise will help commit pitches to memory. At first, using only four pitches, you'll be able to compose very simple melodies, but gradually, when you add more and more pitches, your compositions will become more complicated. Those who are gifted creatively, can compose, using only the pitches they currently study, pieces in any style, any level of complexity, treating 5-6-7-8 etc. pitches they study as, for example, a mode, or a pitch row, that consists of 6-7-8-9- etc. pitch-classes, composing pieces in serial or modal techniques. Rhythmic patterns also can be increasingly complex and intricate. But this exercise can be more time-consuming, only those who can afford some time for it should do more complicated types of it, those who can't spend much time on it should work only with the shortest, simplest rhythmic patterns, spending on this exercise not more than five minutes a day. Another exercise I obligatory give at the start is the exercise on pitch location. Each octave (which I count from C to C) is divided into three parts with four notes in them—bottom part, middle part, top part. The bottom part includes pitches C, C#, D, D#; middle part—E, F, F#, G; top part—Ab, A, Bb, B. The student identifies the place, the location of the tone that was played, without naming the exact pitch, only telling to what part of the octave—bottom, middle or top—this pitch belongs. Don't ask what is the octave, it doesn't matter, pitch location is only a place of a pitch in a row of twelve pitches. This exercise, as you understand, from the very first day is not limited to only two octaves in which we study four initial pitches—C, E, G, B. We should give pitches throughout the keyboard, thus

developing the sense of pitch location, and at the same time a sense of register. Usually I remind the student of the pitch C during this exercise many times, playing it again and again. At first students just compare the location of the given pitch with C, thus accumulating the sense of pitch location at first in comparison with the given tone, but gradually, especially for those whose sense of location is naturally good, it is possible to stop reminding, that is, playing, the C, students will be able to answer correctly without needing the orientation point. This exercise rivets the attention of the student to the place of each tone in the row of twelve pitches—something that they never paid attention to before. Sometimes students experience difficulties in recognizing the place of socalled borderline notes—Eb-E; G-Ab; children may experience difficulty in understanding the concept of how a tone low in terms of register can be at the same time in the upper part of the octave and vice versa. Later on, when the feeling of pitch color will unite with the sense of pitch location, when perfect pitch is expanded in terms of range, to other octaves there will be no necessity in this exercise. Even at this initial stage, working with four pitches, some students may experience difficulties with a certain "stubborn" pitch—most often it is G, then E, rarer C, almost never B. To help this pitch settle peacefully in the ear and memory of the student I offer what I call the "cat and dog" exercise/game. The persistently, stubborn and difficult pitch is renamed "cat" or "dog," a teacher or a partner plays the pitch in succession with the other three, constantly returning to it, playing it as every third or even second pitch, the student then identifies the pitches, calling the difficult one


"cat" or "dog" instead of E or G, the sense of this game—what is renamed, as if this changes its significance—the attention is riveted to the pitch which should be renamed much more than if it were named the usual way—E or G. Out of these four pitches G is the most difficult. A student should be most attentive to the initial little jump up, before G starts to move forward—if this little jump is missed by the ear, the pitch will be perceived as only forward—going pitch, and later on could be easily mixed with D, which goes forward without this initial jump. A student should practice at home daily, starting with 5-10 minutes practicing, then, when we add pitches, the time of home practicing will increase. What exercises out of those offered in this book, each session will involve depends on many factors—whether you have a partner for home practice or not, whether this is the home practicing of a child or of an adult. It all depends on you or your student(s) individual needs and the peculiarities of your/his/her development; the tempo of your/his/her progress and the difficulties you/he/she encounter. How much time usually one spends on four initial pitches—most often it is just one week, sometimes two weeks, sometimes—less than a week. I intentionally didn't present this process as a succession of lessons—Lesson I, Lesson II, etc., because much depends on who reads this book—a teacher, a student, or a musician of post-college age; and if a musician—whether professional or an amateur, and what are the possibilities of the student to work with a partner. I presented it as a succession of stages—how many lessons each stage will take—will be determined by many individual factors and circumstances.

But I want to emphasize that my own pedagogical experience shows, in the majority of cases, these four initial pitches will be mastered in 1-2 weeks. If you are a teacher, much depends on whether you are a teacher of ear-training and music theory, who can dedicate the whole lesson to developing pitch recognition and recall in your students, or you are a piano (violin, clarinet, etc.) teacher, who can spare only 5-10 minutes of the lesson to play pitches for a student.


16

Grow a Row Stage 1 (Continuation)

A

s soon as these first four pitches are recognized well enough in the two octaves we start working with, a student should add the fifth pitch—A in both octaves—above and below middle C. The ear acquires a first barrier it has to overcome—after A is added, there will be a place in the pitch row that is comparatively densely packed with pitches, therefore the sense of pitch location should ascend to the higher level, the sense of pitch color should become more acute—in G, A, B, the ear will deal with three pitch colors in a row that are perceived as "bright," and it is necessary to discern the individual character of the "brightness" of each of those pitches. I remind you—A goes up, it is "wavy"—goes up as a narrow spiral. Adding A takes from one to two weeks usually, sometimes less, sometimes more time.

part of the octave. D goes forward and is mellow.

D

I have noticed, that students perceive and commit to memory the pitches in the upper part of the octave much easier, than in the lower part of it. D may present more difficulties than A. Generally, the more the gaps are filled, the more difficult it is to incorporate each new pitch—the process of addition begins often to shake all the newly built edifice. For some this process would be smooth and painless—all are individual. After D is incorporated, the next pitch should be added—F.

F A

As soon as the pitch A is incorporated by ear, and is securely recognized in both octaves, the student adds another pitch—D, filling in the gap in the lower

F goes down, the fall is short, F is firm, on the mellow side, though less mellow than D and E. With the addition of this pitch all the white keys of the octave will be taken, all the seven pitches of the diatonic row. Details concerning all dimensions of pitch color, and especially, the most important

Grow a Row Stage 1 (Continuation) 63

seventh dimension are included in Chapter 6. Some students, having all seven diatonic pitches may begin to slide up and down a whole or half-step because the color of each pitch is not quite clear yet, the memory isn't quite trained to keep pitches—it is not able as yet always to unite all the components of pitch perception in memory fusion. But for many students with welldeveloped relative pitch it is a very pleasant time—together with listening to pitch color, to pitch location, they also can easily perceive those seven pitches relatively. Many such students tell me that it is blissfully easy for them—they perceive the pitches as degrees of the C major scale. This is, as if, an intermediate stage that exists between relative pitch and perfect pitch—students can't help comparing pitches, having only seven "white" of them that form the C major scale, but at the same time they already began to perceive the individuality of each note—relative pitch doesn't prevent the sense of pitch color from developing. I always warn my students: "Don't try to suppress relative functions of your ear. They won't harm your sense of pitch, quite the contrary—your ear at this initial stage receives mighty help that is essential in coping with so many difficulties it has to overcome." If such a student with developed relative pitch can correctly name the first pitch that is given to him or her, it is an indicator that perfect pitch is appearing. Sometimes it is necessary to constantly struggle with students who try mentally to isolate each pitch they hear, being afraid to compare. Violating their natural and involuntary process of comparing pitches by making an effort not to compare, such a student also blocks out and hinders his or her perception of com-

ponents of the pitch—such as pitch color and pitch location. Of course, students shouldn't make the opposite effort to compare pitches, but if the interval between the pitches or the function of this pitch as the degree of C major scale is clear effortlessly, involuntarily to a student—it is only a help, not a hindrance on the way to developing perfect pitch. I emphasize again, one shouldn't try to suppress this ability. To master seven pitches—C, D, E, F, G, A, B—usually takes six to seven weeks, sometimes longer. There are people for whom it takes the whole semester—and there are people—mainly with excellent relative pitch, for whom this stage can be very short—less than six weeks. Practicing at home should also increase to fifteen minutes. Of course, it is understandable that it is necessary to work at these seven pitches as I described in the previous chapter—to work at them the way you worked at C, E, G, and B. It is necessary to listen and to identify separate pitches, working with a partner; to identify pitches in mini-dictations, "volleys" of pitches, 45-6 sounds in succession and in melodies comprised of the pitches students currently study. "Volleys" should be answered orally, melodies can be given as a dictation to write or as an oral dictation. You should work with intervals and chords comprised out of the pitches you or your student(s) currently study the way I described in the previous chapter. For the vastest majority of students at this stage it is necessary to break every interval and chord for them to be able to identify the pitches in it, but there are students, for whom the verticalization of their perfect pitch is easy, they can be given unbroken intervals and chords of


any structure out of the pitches they currently study. If you are a teacher, you may incorporate into your perfect pitch lesson relative ear-training, by explaining to your students intervals and chords parallel with adding pitches. With the initial pitches C, E, G, B—explain major and minor triads, the major major 7th chord, and m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, P5, m6, M6, and M7. When adding A, add m7 and minor minor 7th chord; adding D and F, add dim. triad, the tritone, and dominant 7th chord, half-diminished 7th chord. Of course, give triads and 7th chords with inversions, explaining the mechanism of inversion to the students. There is an easy way to tell what is the inversion of a triad, by noticing what part of the chord sounds larger—bottom part or upper part—in the 1st inversion bottom part is smaller (a 3rd) and upper part is larger (a 4th), in the 2nd inversion bottom part is larger (a 4th) and upper part is smaller (a 3rd). To describe the inversions of the 7th chord I use the concepts of a migrating interval of a 2nd: • In the 1st inversion (6-5) of any 7th chord 2nd will be above, at the top of the chord (example—in D6-5; B, D, F-G-2nd). • In the 2nd inversion (4-3) it will be in the middle of the chord (D4-3 D, F-G-2nd, B). • In the 3rd inversion (4-2) it will be at the bottom of the chord (D4-2; FG-2nd, B, D). Also continue exercises on pitch location; and continue working with pitches, composing short melodies, using rhythmic patterns the way it was described in the previous chapter (for those who compose music it is possible to

write more complex pieces, using pitches that are currently studied). I remind you again—to work at seven pitches only in two octaves—above and below middle C. Of course, continue games such as "cat and dog," and the inventive teacher can offer students, especially children, many games of such kind. Parallel with this—add new exercises: Take all "white" triads—major and minor, as vertical units as soon as seven pitches—C, D, E, F, G, A, B—are mastered. It is possible to introduce the triads gradually—taking at first C major, A minor, E minor, then adding G major, then—F major and D minor following the order of the pitches added. A diminished triad B-F-D is easily identified among all major and minor triads. It is an easy exercise, because the choice is very narrow—all in all—three major and three minor triads, and it is easy because the majority of students with developed relative pitch are able to perceive them relatively—functionally within C major. Also many students tell me that the color of each triad—that "third" resultative color, that comes as interblending of colors of the three pitches of a certain triad—is much clearer to them, than the color of separate pitches. If to speak about the "7th dimension"—about the "behavior" of each triad as units—I would like to emphasize, that if in a triad one pitch goes down, two stay on one plane, like in a C-E-G triad, it will produce an impression of something that goes down. If there is a triad like E-G-B, one pitch goes up, two stay on one plane, it will produce an impression of going up. If in a triad like A-C-E one pitch goes up, another goes down, and the third


is on one plane, pitches going opposite directions counterbalance each other, and the triad will produce an impression of staying on one plane. If in a triad like F-A-C two pitches go down and one goes up, it still will produce an impression of going down. Make sure that the direction, and other dimensions of the color of each triad are clear to you—play each triad many times on the piano yourself. How do you work with triads? The way you work with separate pitches, at first—yourself, then—a partner plays a triad, you try to recognize it as a vertical unit, in an unbroken form. More about vertical units will be in the next chapters, but for now I want only to mention that for many it is a rule: all vertical units are more "colored" than separate pitches, the more sounds there are in the vertical unit, the more evident is the color, this is mainly because vertical units are so numerous that it is difficult to verticalize one's perfect pitch, not because the color is not clear. I usually play for my students those "white" triads in both octaves—above and below middle C. This way G major and A minor triads in the octave above middle C will include upper pitch that will be in the next octave, even before a student begins to add this octave in terms of separate pitches. Mastering "white" triads, students encounter this "color of relationship" I mentioned in previous chapters, and learn to perceive it together with the color of each triad. It is possible to start, together with "white" triads, certain "white" intervals as vertical units—I usually begin with perfect fifths—they, as a rule, are the easiest pitch units among intervals for the vastest majority; begin only with fifths, I empha-

size, comprised of the seven pitches—C, D, E, F, G, A, B. The diminished fifth B-F should be easily recognized as different to perfect fifths; then to add thirds—major and minor, also "white," sometimes it is possible even to add "white" sixths—major and minor, but an average student usually can only take fifths and thirds. I again stress—all intervals and chords are taken as units—each having its own pitch color, which is a result of blending of two or more pitch colors that are included in this unit, by no means you should consider a vertical unit to be a simple superimposition of pitch colors. I remind you—if one pitch in the interval goes up, another down—they counterbalance each other, the interval stays on one plane, if one pitch goes up (or down), another stays on one plane, the interval produces an impression of going up (or down). It is very interesting to witness the process—how each student perceives this blending in each unit—what color dominates in the blending in the perception of a certain person: the definitions of pitch color of vertical units are much more individualized, than of separate pitches. But for some students verticalization of their pitch ear is extremely difficult, and at this stage it may be even impossible for them to master many vertical units if to perceive them truly vertically. So the work at intervals and chords goes by two tracks—one track is to give a student (partner) intervals and chords in a way convenient for him/her—for the majority it will be necessary to break them, and this way it is possible to give students any combinations—intervals and chords. Another track would be to try to master some—for many students a very


limited amount of—truly vertical, unbroken units—triads and some intervals. I again would like to remind you, that there are students, who can easily recognize pitches in unbroken intervals and chords, in this case give them any vertical, that is, unbroken, combinations of the pitches they currently study. Another type of exercise that is necessary to introduce at this stage is not connected with recognition of pitches, but is directed to help recognize pitches in certain contextual situations—I mean the exercise "whole-step—half-step." As soon as five, six, seven pitches are introduced in two octaves, the problem of perception of pitches on the distance of a seventh or ninth begins. For some reason for many students this contextual situation leads to mistakes. So it is very important for students, first and foremost, to master the "trill technique" I described earlier. But to master it truly well, one should excellently discern between half and whole-steps. So I play a sequence of half and whole-steps, starting from one and the same pitch, downwards, or upwards—for example, A-G-F#-E-D, then I change the sequence of half and whole-steps, A-G #F#-E-D#, then change it again, A-G-F-ED#, then again, A-G#-G-F-E, then, A-G#F#-F-Eb, etc. When this exercise of half and whole-steps starts from one and the same pitch—it throws into bold relief the difference in half and whole-steps, and repetitions of the same half and whole-steps that occur help keep in memory this difference. Then I play such an exercise upwards, for example—E-F-F#-G#-A, then E-F#-G-G#-A#, then E-F#-G#-A-A#, etc.

A student should only tell whether he or she hears a half or whole-step, regardless of pitches. Pitches are not identified by students in this exercise. The second variant of this exercise is to play a succession of major and minor ninths in one direction—downwards, then upwards, starting from the upper or from the lowest octave. The student answers a halfstep if it was the distance of a minor ninth, a whole-step if it was a major ninth. Then play a succession of minor and major sevenths the same way— upwards and downwards, the student answers a half-step when the seventh is major, a whole-step when the seventh is minor. Then mix together sevenths and ninths—downwards, then upwards. Now make these distances even larger—ninth in four octaves, then seventh in two octaves, etc., alternating the directions. Gradually students will be aware that a whole-step remains a whole-step, no matter whether the pitches that comprise it, are in the same octave, or one of the pitches is taken by the leap of five octaves. And that a pitch a half or wholestep apart is always a neighbor, no matter whether it is in the same octave, or taken by leap. "Trill technique" is a skill to instantaneously bring mentally to trill position towards the first pitch any next pitch at the distance of a seventh or ninth, or a compound seventh or ninth at a distance of any amount of octaves. I described it in detail in Chapter 9, "What Color is the Relationship." Together with these exercises it is possible to start to develop auditory imagination, at first giving students the task to imagine not pitches, but only elements, pertaining to the sphere of relative pitch— to imagine how a major or minor triad sounds, how an interval—be it perfect


fourth or minor seventh—sounds, to be able to follow the relations between the tones in the musical score, regardless of the pitches. Some students even at this stage may try to imagine pitches they currently study—after all seven white pitches were taken; usually it goes with great difficulty, so it is better not to ask them in the classroom, but give it as a home-task, for a student just to try, and not to be frustrated if pitches persistently slide up or down, for many it is too early to do it on any level other than a mere attempt. I want to dwell more on the horizontal elements students master at this stage. Playing for a student pitches at first in one octave and then in another is only the first part of the exercise. It is necessary to also give pitches alternately—one pitch in one octave, another pitch in another octave. Though we at this stage have only two octaves, still the ear will have a small barrier of register to overcome, when the leap from octave to octave occurs. And also it broadens the choice of pitches—within one octave a student moves in some cases by the method of exclusion—"it may be only this, it can't be that"—because all the tones are so near each other, and the location of each—top, bottom or middle part of the octave—is so clear, but as soon as we leap from one octave to the other, it is absolutely a different picture, some students lose the sense of location—it is not so clear for them, what is top, what is bottom or middle— after D in the octave below middle C, F in the octave above middle C may seem something that is in the top part, because it is so much higher than the previous pitch.

I'll describe in detail such exercises as "volleys" of pitches and dictations in the next chapter. Here I want only to mention that sometimes it is possible even at this stage to give students broken clusters of pitches, when at least five, six, and of course seven pitches are taken. This exercise brings nearer the verticalization of perfect pitch which at first develops only as horizontal. Usually I play eight-nine-ten pitches together, only those we study, and in both octaves, doubling some pitches. After hearing a vertical cluster for a couple of times, a student usually is able to name the lowest or the highest pitch— for some the lower notes are clearer, for some — the upper. Then I break this vertical combination of pitches, playing them in succession, a student already knowing the upper or the lower tone, identifies all the rest of the pitches, going up or down. This exercise is especially good in helping develop the sense of pitch row.


17 T

Grow a Row Stage 2 Filling in the Gaps

he horizontal perception of the pitches will continue to develop further when you add "black" pitches—one at a time, in the same two octaves above and below middle C. The first pitch you add will be F #. It is the easiest of all the "black" pitches to take as the first—by pitch color it is one of the brightest, its behavior is very peculiar, also it is in the middle of the octave—on the background of all "white" pitches it sticks out in such bold relief! But still it is a tremendous qualitative leap for the ear of many students to incorporate it. The diatonical bliss of the C major scale, which previously was so enjoyed by many students with developed relative pitch comes to an end—with the first black key added it becomes much more difficult to compare, though involuntarily, the pitches. The addition of the first chromatic element for some students may shake the edifice of their developing perfect pitch for some time. If such is the case, you should give the ear a couple of weeks to get accustomed to the new chromatic element, to the loss of the ear's facile ability to compare pitches within C major. But for many students this note is incorporated easily and painlessly, swiftly too—it seems to many too conspicuous by its pitch color to be mixed up with any of the "white" pitches. From the time you take F# you begin real transition from the intermediate state of your ear, in between relative and perfect pitch, to real perfect pitch.

I offer the following exercise to help incorporate F# and to develop the perception of the difference in colors of all white and black keys as groups. Play at first in rapid tempo a C major scale upwards in one octave—above middle C, and then— immediately after the scale—play F#, and hold it for a moment, then repeat the process several times—F# will stand out in bold relief on the background of all "white" pitches. Then repeat the exercise in the octave below middle C. For all details concerning the seventh and all other dimensions of pitch color of F# and all other "black" pitches— see Chapter 6, "Esthetics of Synesthetic." After F#, add one by one all other "black" pitches in order: Bb, then C#, then Eb, the last will be Ab. Bb, after F# is incorporated, is considered a very convenient, easy pitch, the same is with Ab (many students say that Ab is the most pleasant, easiest tone to add), C# and Eb are the pitches that offer resistance—though C# is considered "on the bright side" by the vastest majority, also students agree that it is not a pleasant pitch, that it emanates certain negative energy that interferes with the perception of this pitch for some people; E b is resistant not only because of its negative energy, but also because of the mellowness of its pitch color (I would say—greyish mellowness), this mellowness added to fill the gap in the area tightly packed with

Grow a Row Stage 2, Filling in the Gaps 69

mellow and mellowish pitches—D, E, F are mellow or "on the mellow side," that is the reason that at the first stage, before the behavior and specific aspect of the mellowness of each of these pitches are clear, before a person also starts to perceive by ear always which key is white which is black, this pitch—Eb may be mixed up with D, or E, or even F. Or sometimes— with C#—for those who feel already the difference between black and white keys, but for whom the behavior of these pitches—Eb and C#—is not very clear yet, though the feeling of location is already approximately correct. From the time the first "black" pitch is added the tempo and character of your development will become even more individualized—for some, after having difficulties with F#, all other "black" notes will be added easily, for some—it will be easy to incorporate F# and Bb, but then there will be difficulties with C # and/or Eb, though Ab will be easy again; for some— F# and Bb will be more difficult, then, unexpectedly, C# or Eb will be easy, etc. But at the end of your work with "black" pitches in these two octaves— everything smoothes up for everyone. Generally, people perceive "black" pitches as more "colored,"—the pitch colors of "black" pitches seem more clear, more obvious than those of "white" pitches, so if to speak of time spent on black keys—you will, in most cases, spend not more but less time on "black" pitches, than on "white." Work at "black" pitches the same way you worked at "white," doing the same exercises I described in the previous chapter. I want here to dwell a little more on "volleys" of pitches, or oral mini-dictations of 4-5 notes.

This exercise I especially like to give to my students, because it combines the contextuality of the pitch perception with the autonomy of each pitch—it is not a tonal melody, it is an atonal succession of pitches, actually a random succession of them, but the effect of "recoloring" of a pitch on the background of what preceded it exists here too. Sometimes, depending on the combination of these four or five pitches, the "volley" is more convenient for one's ear, and sometimes certain pitches, succeeding one another, create a very inconvenient context for the ear, as if the color of a pitch after a certain pitch, on a certain background, seems obscured or changed. Volleys should include pitches in both octaves—above and below middle C, sometimes two pitches in one octave, and two in the other, sometimes three in one octave, one or two in the other, sometimes going only upwards or downwards, sometimes two sounds upwards, two downwards, etc. I want to stress—the student should listen to the "volley" not more than 3-4 times, then answer. Some will need for the "volley" to be played for them in slow tempo. Examples of volleys—see Appendix II. In full-size, one-part written dictations (I compose them myself) I usually use only the pitches students currently study in the melody embracing the range of two octaves—above and below middle C, at first only "white" pitches, utilizing them in dictations in order of how they are added, then I gradually add into the melodies all the "black" pitches—in the order we add them, so only when the last pitch—Ab—is added, I use in dictations all twelve pitches. Together with tonal melodies from the beginning I give as dictations melodies that are not tied to tonality, further on dic-


tations are mainly atonal, though I also give densely chromaticized tonal melodies too (see examples of dictations in Appendix III). When I dictate a melody, I never tell the students what is the key if the dictation is tonal, and I never tell what is the first note of the atonal dictations—students must identify it themselves. However, I always give students a tonic triad before I start to play a tonal dictation—for them to identify what is the key and to recognize pitches in this triad. And I ask my students—what is the first note (or notes in 2-3-4-part dictations ) if the dictation is atonal, they identify the first note (notes), then I start playing the dictation. Full-size dictations are more timeconsuming, so I recommend "volleys" for home-practicing with a partner, and fullsize dictations for classroom work, and for those who can spend more time practicing at home. I also want to describe here certain difficulties, common for many students, and connected with imaginary pitches: "overtone mirage." I mean by this term, the situation when the student mixes up the pitch that was actually played with the one a perfect fifth apart from it; for example, hearing C, a student names G, or hearing B names F#. Such tones—a fifth apart—are in close kinship acoustically. Some students even in the beginning have a keen ear for overtones—in time the ear of such a student gets accustomed to what is an overtone and what is the "real" pitch that was given, but at first, and for some—even further on—sometimes an overtone would sound more real for the ear than the actual pitch. Sometimes there is a difficulty which I call "the filling in of a triad" or "completing a triad." This phenomenon once more confirms the contextuality of

pitch perception—a person hears for example C then G, but names E instead of G, thus filling in mentally the triad, and naming the imaginary pitch—the missing middle tone of a triad. Or one hears C then E, but names G instead of E, completing the triad, naming the imaginary upper tone of it (reversing the process, one hears G then E, names C instead of E, completing the triad with imaginary lower tone). When all the twelve pitches are recognized accurately by ear, the very important stage in the development of perfect pitch is reached—you'll now have perfect pitch that is selective horizontally, timbrally and in the terms of range. For some people to cope with these twelve pitches means to be for some time in the state of "dirty" perfect pitch—as the twelve-pitch row is densely packed, and the feeling of pitch color is not yet fully established. Some will experience for a time this instability of pitch perception which expresses itself in half-tone slidings up and down from the actual pitch and in unpredictability—what pitch will slide today. It is connected with the phenomenon that at this stage pitch colors "come and go"—as some students express it, in time the perception of pitch colors stabilizes, those who had "dirty" perfect pitch acquire "clear" perfect pitch. But some students develop their perfect pitch from the very beginning as "clear," exact one. How much time will this stage take? Many students will cope with black pitches in 7-8, sometimes 10 weeks. For some it will take less, for some, more. Usually the majority of my students are able to cope with all 12 pitches in the range of 2 octaves in a 15-week semester, for some, however, it takes longer.


You should continue to work with intervals and chords by the 2 tracks I described before—broken and unbroken. For those who develop their relative pitch together with perfect—learn the minor major 7th chord, and the augmented 7th chord after adding F# and Bb. (You will be able to build chords like the mM7th chord G-Bb-D-F# or the aug7th chord Bb-D-F#A). When you add C#—learn the fully diminished 7th chord (like C#-E-G-Bb). I remind you—in broken form, work with any combinations possible comprised of the pitches you currently have. You should also add some chords and intervals to those that you study as purely vertical units, with its own pitch color (result of blending in our ear of those pitch colors that comprise this unit). After taking all "white" triads you should add triads with "black" pitches, adding them at first a couple at a time: 1. Take F#. 2. After taking F#, add D major—B minor triads. 3. After taking Bb—add Bb major—G minor. 4. Take C#—add A major—F# minor. 5. Take Eb—add Eb major—C minor. 6. Then add F# major—D# minor 7. Then add one triad at a time, though Ab—the last pitch—will be added earlier than all the triads with Eb are taken. 8. Add E major, then C# minor, Ab major, F minor, B major, G# minor, Db major, Bb minor (some students would prefer to take first D b major, Bb minor and then B major, G# minor).

Add to your fifths and thirds those with "black" pitches—in order of the pitches taken. Add gradually sixths— major and minor, starting with "white" sixths, adding sixths with "black" pitches in order of the pitches taken. Remember at this stage all triads and intervals are taken only in two octaves—above and below middle C, but it is inevitable to touch some pitches beyond this range—for example, if you build a triad on A, or a sixth on Bb above middle C. For some, the most gifted students, it is possible also to take fourths, but it is rare; the majority of students will take fourths when the horizontal expansion of their perfect pitch will take place, that is, for them it will be the next stage in the development of their pitch ear. A reminder: there are students, who are able to easily recognize pitches in truly vertical, unbroken, intervals and chords, they can add as many vertical elements, as they wish to add, practically all vertical combinations of the pitches they currently study.


18 A

Grow a Row Stage 3, or Territorial Expansion

fter the twelve pitches in the two octaves—above and below middle C—are mastered the way I described in the previous chapter, it is time to expand your perfect pitch in the terms of range by adding another octave. Usually my students add the second octave above middle C as the next, then the second octave below middle C, then the octave upper but one, then the lowest octave, then the upper octave, then the lowest three notes—A, Bb, B. For some students this order may be reversed: at first the second octave below middle C, then the second octave above middle C, etc.—for those students who feel that the lower octaves are more comfortable than the upper. Generally the upper register, the upper octaves are clearer for students than the lowest octave, because the lower register presents for many certain difficulties— "sounds muddy"—students say. Usually it is possible to add octaves not by single pitches, as before, but at first—taking all "white" pitches in this octave, then all "black," that is, adding pitches by big groups. Later on, when one comes to the last octaves—it is possible for the vastest majority to add an octave at a time instead of a pitch at a time! This is the stage when pitch colors begin to settle in a quite stable way in one's ear and memory, the changes in tints of color of one and the same pitch when the register and the octave change are usually perceived very well by everyone and don't present a hindrance.

It may be, however, advisable for some students to "translate" mentally the pitches given in the inconvenient register (octave) to the register (octave) they are comfortable in. Sometimes, when the ear is only getting accustomed to the sound of the lowest register, I play a student a pitch in the lowest octave, and then immediately in the octave with which the student is very well acquainted—above middle C, for example. I also allow to use vocal chords to "translate" such a pitch. For some students all this still may be difficult—"muddiness" of those tones interferes with the correct perception of the pitch. For a person it may seem that the pitch sounds a certain way, he or she mentally or aloud sings it two or three octaves higher, but what he or she sings, and consequently, identifies—is not the real pitch—it is a half or a whole-step higher or lower than the actual tone, "muddiness" of the lowest octave being the cause of this. At first one should learn simply to perceive correctly a tone and to sing it in a convenient octave without even naming a pitch, as soon as it is clear that a person perceives these low tones always correctly, sings them correctly, he or she should start to identify pitches in the lowest octave. Work with pitches, doing all the exercises, described in the previous chapter. Especially important at this stage is the work at identifying random pitches.

Grow a Row Stage 3, or Territorial Expansion 73

I usually give my students at first all the pitches in each octave in the range a student currently has—for example four or five octaves going from octave to octave in the sequence of them—upwards or downwards, or starting above middle C, going then upwards and downwards, and then I give random pitches, leaping from octave to octave, if the range is big enough, such leaps can be gigantic. By this time students should roughly be able to identify pitches this way—for some it is quite easy, but for some it is difficult because of the necessity to overcome the barrier of register. Especially difficult are contextual situations with the sevenths or ninths on a big distance of several octaves, and tritones on a distance. The "trill technique" I described before should be obligatory mastered at this stage. It is interesting that at this stage, usually, in all the students relative pitch is developed parallel with pitch ear to such an extent that even those who came without any previous background in ear-training begin to easily and involuntarily recognize intervals between pitches; and it is a mighty support for the ear in its struggle with register barrier—thus perfect pitch and relative pitch interact, developing parallel, helping each other. In developing perfect pitch the aim justifies the means—I always remind my students not to try to suppress the relative function of their ear—it helps avoid mistakes. In time the barrier of the register is overcome successfully by everyone. But it is necessary to practice at home "random" pitches with a partner. It is necessary to make "volleys" of sounds longer and more complex—expand the range of a "volley," giving 8-10 sounds, that embrace the range of several octaves—three, then four, five, etc. (see

examples of such "volleys" in Appendix II). It is also possible to start two-part, full-size dictations—at first of a simpler type, then more complex, not very expanded in the terms of range—embracing the range of not more than three octaves (see dictation examples in Appendix III). At the same time, exercises on developing aural recall should start. Already preliminary exercises on developing auditory imagination were introduced in the previous chapters. Now it is time to start more complex exercises of this kind. Try to imagine separate pitches, then check yourself on the piano, imagine pitches only in the most convenient octave for you, for example, in the first octave below middle C. Then try to imagine how a certain pitch (or pitches) sounds in another octave, for example, in the first octave above middle C. In the beginning it will be difficult, so at first try to imagine the pitch in the octave that is convenient for you, and then transfer the pitch mentally an octave (two octaves) higher (lower), check the pitch with the piano, trying to perceive and to memorize the tint of pitch color of this pitch in another octave. Then, gradually, you'll be able to do it without transfer—you'll be able just to imagine the pitch exactly in the octave you wish. For those who compose music it is especially important—to internalize their perfect pitch—to be able to imagine on as high a level as it is possible. After being able to imagine separate pitches, it is time to start imagining pitch units—intervals and triads—at first breaking them mentally, and doing it in the convenient octave, then breaking them, but imagining them in any octave, then doing it in any octave without break-


ing the units, being able to imagine the interval or triad as a unit. Now start mentally following the score, imaging how pitches sound in a convenient octave, separate parts, then parts united together, then to imagine pitches in the actual octaves they are written, separate parts, then parts united together. Vertical expansion also continues, to your "second track"—unbroken units— add fourths, add dissonant intervals—at first sevenths, then seconds, and then tritones. Add them in this way—at first "white," then with "black" pitches. As a rule, if to speak of the perception of vertical units, consonances are easier for the majority of students than dissonances, and larger intervals in both groups are easier (with the exception of thirds) than smaller—fifths and sixths are easier than fourths, sevenths are easier than seconds, tritones are the most difficult intervals for the vastest majority as acoustically the notes that comprise this interval are very, very far from each other, and besides, it is not for nothing that this interval was nicknamed in the middle ages—"diabolical interval"—it exudes certain negative energy. Work at the intervals as described in the previous chapter, without as yet expanding the range in which the intervals are given, that is, work at them only in two octaves—above and below middle C. Also add inversions of major and minor triads—at first "white," then with "black" pitches, one or two at a time, also only within the two octave range. Sometimes it is possible to add dominant 7th chords with inversions, but mainly dominant 7th chords and other 7th chords, as well as diminished and augmented triads as unbroken units belong to the next stage.

And of course, your "first track"—broken units—should now expand into all octaves and registers you master—you can work with any broken combinations of pitches even in the upper or lowest octaves. How much time this stage will take? It is highly individual—from 1-2 semesters for the most gifted to much more for those who encounter difficulties and problems in the development of their pitch recognition and recall.


19 T

Grow a Row Stage 4 Putting on Layers

his stage in your development should begin begin when you have masmastered all the pitches in all the octaves horizontally, and when you are able to recognize them with increasing accuracy and speed; not only when they are given within one octave, then within another, then within the third, etc., but also when they are given randomly, leaping from octave to octave, the leaps being any size, as big as seven octaves, for example; when you are able to recognize pitches in certain unbroken vertical elements—in intervals and some chords— major and minor triads, their inversions, in dominant 7th chords with inversions; and when you start doing aural recall exercises, and are able to imagine pitches at least in an octave convenient for you. Now it is time to put on layers. I described the method of putting on layers in the Chapter 12, "Memory Fusion—Problems and Solution." The octave you start your second layer with is the one that will bring about an absolutely different level of mastery over pitches— you'll begin to perceive differently pitch colors. Students usually tell me that in this octave of the second layer pitch colors seem to them much clearer, much more obvious than before, as if they reached a certain greater depth, or ascended to a greater height in this aspect. With this octave of the second layer, another, higher level of commitment of pitches to long-term memory will

begin, as a result of greater clarity of pitch colors. I again remind you—take at first only four pitches—C, E, G, B, in this octave, then—all other "white" pitches— A, D, F, then add all "black" pitches—at first F# and Bb, then—all the rest—C #, Eb, Ab, as before. At this stage I also start to give students pitches staccato and softly or even very softly, that is, instead of "full" color— when the pitch sounds loud enough and long enough for student(s) to get the full impression of how this pitch "behaves"—I give only partial color; at this stage it is possible for many students to hear this pitch staccato and identify it by only a particle of color that remains when we play the pitch this way. It is necessary to also give oral mini-dictations—"volleys" in this octave, and full-sized dictations, and to give intervals and chords by both "tracks" in this octave, using in them the pitches, that are currently studied. This will help your vertical perfect pitch ascend to a higher level, towards this time your general level of perfect pitch will be such as for you not to have the need to study a family of chords for your second—purely vertical—"track" the way at first you studied fifths, or thirds, or sixths. There will be no need, for example, to start studying the family of minorminor 7th chords, or half-diminished 7th chords—you'll be able to answer the pitches in such a unit from the level of the different way of pitch perception—clearer,

Grow a Row Stage 4, Putting on Layers 76

deeper perception, and memory fusion towards this time will be much more stable. However, there are students who would like even at this stage to work at vertical units the way they worked before—taking at first, for example, all "white" minor-minor 7th chords, then adding gradually those with "black" pitches—till all 7th chords of this kind are taken; and in the same way work at the inversions, at all the other 7th chords: • major-major • minor-major • ha half lf--dim dimini inished shed • full fully y dim dimiinis nished hed • augme augmente nted-m d-majo ajorr and and their their inverinversions. I want to emphasize, that for some reason diminished and augmented triads are difficult for the majority of students, that is why I usually introduce them at this stage. Of course, the work at triads of all kinds with inversions, at 7th chords of all kinds with inversions shouldn't be limited only to the octave with which you start your second layer—all the intervals, triads and 7th chords you can answer vertically should be given as before—mainly in two octaves—below and above middle C. In the octave of the second layer it is necessary to give all kinds of chords for the first "broken" track: chords of non-tertial structure, clusters, etc. Vertical elements for many may be resistant to such an extent, as for such people to stop in the development of their vertical perfect pitch at a certain stage, and therefore, to be able to identify pitches at other, more complex pitch units only when they are broken to separate pitches. Some would persistently go forward with the goal to achieve higher levels of verticalization of their perfect pitch.

By this time "volleys" and full-size dictations should become more complex. I introduce two-part and four-part dictations of ever-increasing complexity, then add three-part dictations of the most complex polyphonic type, dictations tonal and atonal, tonal dictations with dense chromaticism, sudden modulations, etc. (see examples of dictations in Appendix III). The reason I introduce three-part dictations later than four-part dictations is in the fact that in four-part dictations the voice-leading is governed by the established rules of harmony—it is easy to fill in the middle voices as soon as you have the bass and soprano, and know the rules of harmony; but in three-part dictations voice-leading is free, free, which makes it more difficult to follow the middle voice. Chords that I give students at this stage are not only in narrow arrangement in one octave, but mainly in four-part arrangement, arrangement, open and close, that may embrace two to two-and-one-half two-and-one-half octaves. Students answer at first what is the chord, for example, major-major six-five, or half-diminished four-three, then—what note of the chord is at the top—root, third, fifth, or seventh, then the pitches it comprises: major-major six-five, root at the top, D-A (octave below middle C) F-Bb (octave above middle C), if to gather them in narrow arrangement—D-F-A-B arrangement—D-F-A-Bb. There was a time in my life when I undertook to classify and name all existing chords of non-traditional structure. I usually introduce those chords one by one to my students, they first learn chords, that is, to discern the generic color of a chord, then they learn to identify pitches in them. This way an all-rounded, versatile ear is being developed, not only pitch ear.


These chords will be described in my next book In the Vertical Realm. At this stage I usually give my students not only separate intervals and chords, but progressions of intervals— sometimes tonal but mainly, atonal: 4-5-6 intervals in a row, for students to answer orally after listening to it two or three times—at first what are the intervals, then—what are the pitches in each interval. Chords at this stage should also be given not only separately, but in progressions, tonal and atonal, for students to answer at first what are the chords, what tone of the chord is at the top, then—to answer pitches, in tonal progressions— what are the functions of the chords in the key. Remember to work at progressions of intervals and chords by two "tracks." For some students it will be necessary to break every chord or every interval in a progression. These exercises on intervals and chords, separate and in progressions of intervals and chords of traditional and non-traditional structure, in progressions tonal and atonal develop not only vertical pitch ear, they develop simultaneously relative functions of the ear, bringing forth that virtuosic versatile ear that is the dream and the necessity of each musician. The exercises on progressions of chords or intervals also develop musical memory. Aural recall should be continued at this stage—proceeding from recall of the pitches in the convenient octave to being able to recall pitches in any octave. Usually octaves are added to the second layer in very fast tempo—in 3-4 weeks you will embrace five octaves of the piano, only the two octaves that you mastered at the very beginning—above and below middle C—will not be added.

One more week—and you will add these most familiar octaves and will have full range of piano as a second layer, till the end of the semester you should work with the full range. But in some cases it will take more time—a semester, to embrace all the octaves of the 2nd layer, adding them one by one. With putting on the second layer, you will reach an absolutely different level of memory fusion—some will have such stability of their pitch ear, as not to need another layer, some will need the third layer, so the procedure will be repeated once more, or as many times, as it is needed by the student. I want to remind the teacher that with the expansion of the second layer you should continue to give all chords and intervals in each added octave the way you did with the very first octave of this layer. For the majority of those who wish to reach higher levels in verticalization of their perfect pitch, there will be endless possibilities to expand your vertical perfect pitch further and further till you are able to name pitches in practically any vertical combination—consonant or dissonant. However, for some, there may be limitations in this area. After putting on the amount of layers that is needed to reach the level of stability in recognizing pitches in all octaves, and to be able to recognize pitches in any vertical combinations and to recall all pitches from memory—you will have perfect pitch that is only timbrally selective. How much time will it take to reach such a level? All this seems a formidable task, you would ask. The answer is—at this stage all is so individualized, especially the tempo of your development—there are people who,


reaching the stage of putting on layers, move forward especially fast, and there are some who will experience certain difficulties that will slow down the progress. For some, it is verticalization of their perfect pitch, for some, it is aural recall, etc. Your ultimate result will, however, depend not on the tempo of your progress, but on your perseverance and desire to reach still a higher level.


20 W

Vertical Units— A Stumbling Block or a Nasty Little Trick?

hen a student starts to work at vertical units he or she encounters the problem that, in my opinion, is one of the main obstacles in the way of developing pitch ear—verticalization of perfect pitch is the most difficult thing to achieve. There are students, for whom it is easy to verticalize their perfect pitch, who from the start can recognize pitches in unbroken intervals and chords and who sometimes tell me that it is even easier for them to recognize pitches in the vertical units than separate ("horizontal") pitches. But, alas, this does not happen often. The majority of students who excellently recognize pitches in all kinds of horizontal successions of tones, experience difficulties with vertical units. To answer pitches in intervals and chords truly vertically—that is, when the tones of a chord or an interval are taken together, is difficult even for many people with inborn perfect pitch: we already spoke of inborn perfect pitch being horizontally selective or vertically selective, that is, a person with such perfect pitch is able to discern only separate pitches, or pitches only in certain simpler chords, and in intervals. Still it is possible to achieve the goal of verticalization of perfect pitch if you work persistently at intervals and chords as vertical units, that is, if you take all intervals and all chords of traditional (tertial) structure in a system, one group after the other, gradually adding to what you've already taken.

You should treat each interval or chord as a pitch unit, that is, as something whole, with its own peculiar pitch color which is a result of the interblending of two or more pitch colors in this unit, not a mere combination, a mere putting together of two or more pitch colors, that can easily be put asunder. You should gradually condition your ear to perceive this color of an unbroken vertical unit. For many it is truly a formidable task, many students are able to answer the pitches in the chord or interval only when it is broken into separate pitches, and the ear of such students may offer great resistance on the way to verticalization of their perception of pitches in intervals and chords. The first step is to analyze pitch color of each unit in the group you currently study, for example, the first of all vertical elements that my students usually work at is the group of triads—major and minor. Each of the triads has its own individuality, its own pitch color, the way each separate pitch has its color, its own behavior. We already spoke about how the pitches that go opposite directions—for example C—down, A—up—counterbalance each other. So the direction of a triad will be determined by: 1. The presence of two pitches in a triad that go one and the same direction—up or down (for example, F major triad has two pitches that go down—F and C, and one

Vertical Units—A Stumbling Block or a Nasty Little Trick? 80

that goes up—A, F and A counterbalance each other, but the triad will go down, as there is also the third pitch, C, that goes down. 2. The presence of pitches that stay or move on one plane; if there are two pitches in a triad that are on one plane and one that goes either up or down, the triad will give an impression of going up or down— for example C-E-G produces an impression of being a heavy triad, because C pulls it down. G-B-D produces an impression of going up, because B lifts it up, also it as if moves at the same time forward, as both G and D are forwardmoving pitches, especially this forward-moving effect is pronounced in G-Bb-D, as Bb goes up at an angle, adding to the moving-forward effect. 3. The presence of the pitches that go in three different directions, one— up, another—down, the third—on one plane, for example A b-C-Eb, the triad will produce an impression of being on one plane, because Ab and C counterbalance each other, Eb is on one plane. If to speak of other dimensions of pitch color, for me for example— • C major is festive, majestic, on the bright side • Db major—mellow, subdued, with some sadness in it, a hushed nocturnal key • D major—bright, majestic • Eb major—mellow, with a metallic greyish tint, cool • E major—bright with something disquiet, alarming, too intense in it

• F major—robust, strong, cheerful, a bit blunt, not very bright • F# major—on the bright side, but the tint of it is not entirely pure (some of my students describe this triad as murky) • G major—bright, beautiful, gleeful, full of light • Ab major—elegant, tender, cool, on the mellow side • A major—very bright, warm, sparkling, spiritual • Bb major—noble, warm, sweet • B major—very bright, but unpleasantly so, with something too glaring in this brightness • C minor—nobly mournful • C# minor—dark, but not mellow, wrathful, desperate, mournful—one of the darkest triads • D minor—very sad but with inner restraint • Eb minor—subdued, dark metallic grey, the key of resignation and indifference born of despair • E minor—bright color, light too. Among minor triads E minor, together with A, B, and F# minor—is one of the brightest, there is even something cheerful in it (some students without ear-training background at first may call it a major triad) • F minor—soft, cool, on the mellow side, triad of sadness and deep melancholy and thoughtfulness • F# minor—very bright, brash, glaring, a bit impudent


• G minor—elegiac triad, tender, melancholy, soft, there is light and elegance in it • G# minor—a tragic key, very dark, cold, subdued, the key of hopelessness • A minor—bright, noble, there is something neutral about it—as if no sadness in it, characteristic of other minor triads, and like E minor, it is often called "major" by students—beginners • Bb minor—the key of deepest melancholy, mournful, on the mellow side, subdued by tint • B minor—very bright, openly tragic, the triad of wrath, of strong, dark emotions. There is a lot of what is subjective in our perception of resultative color of vertical units—depending on what pitch color dominates for you in the blending of colors—not always it is the root of the triad, sometimes it is the fifth, or even the third of the triad, that will tinge the whole triad for you in more bright or mellow tones, or will make it cool or warm, etc. If to speak of the energy that is characteristic of each triad, the unit that has two out of three pitches energetically positive, one neutral or negative—will remain energetically positive, a unit with two pitches energetically negative, one neutral or positive—will remain energetically negative. It is more complicated when one pitch is energetically positive, another— negative and the third—neutral. In principle two energetically opposite pitches will counterbalance each other, and the triad will be energetically neutral. But in our perception one pitch will always dominate the unit and deter-

mine its energy for you, being "stronger" than other in your perception. For example, A major is perceived by some people as energetically positive, by some—as negative, depending what pitch—A or C# seems to a person stronger, more dominating in this blending. If to speak about the "aura" of each triad—we notice that some of them are comprised of pitches that are in harmony with each other if to speak of aura—for example, in C-E-G, C is Earth aura, E, G are Water aura—perfect harmony. D-F#-A, D is Air aura, F# and A are Fire aura—perfect harmony. But there are triads which are comprised of pitches with conflicting, disharmonious auras. That same A-C#-E—A is Fire aura, and E is Water aura in this combination. This inner disharmony influences in a certain subtle way our perception of such triads, causing more individualized reactions to them, and adding more often than not certain negative tinges to the way we perceive them. For many students the color of each major and minor triad is even clearer than that of separate pitches. But for many—at first it is necessary to break the triad into separate pitches for them to answer. Gradually even those students begin to perceive triads vertically—in time the color of each triad settles in the memory the way the color of each pitch does. I described in previous chapters how to add triads—starting with all "white," then adding several "pairs" of triads—a pair—relative major and minor, then adding them one by one—following the order of pitches added. But if triads were the only vertical element! What a blissfully easy life that would be!


But after the triads are mastered, the same time-consuming work should be done with all other vertical units, with so many of them: that is the reason that many students lag behind in the development of their vertical perfect pitch. Of course, the general level of development of pitch ear matters greatly—the higher a level of horizontal perfect pitch a person acquires, the easier it is in principle to cope with vertical units. Some of the students develop the ability to discern separate pitch colors in the intervals and chords, but not always both (or all) notes, most often just one, all the rest they figure out relatively. Such students often tell me, that especially clear for them are the bright pitches on the background of mellow(er) ones, some put easily asunder in their mind any vertical unit, no matter whether it is comprised of bright or mellow pitches, some just easily remember pitch color of intervals and chords as units. But for the majority of students their ability to excellently identify separate pitches helps only to cope with "broken" vertical units. To be able to identify pitches in unbroken units one should study and commit to long-term memory the pitch colors of all those units—it is gigantic work, though definitely if one could commit to long-term memory the colors of all horizontal pitches and of all triads, it is possible to do so with all other pitch units, and the more accuracy and stability one shows in answering separate pitches, the more accuracy it is possible to achieve with vertical units. As you know from previous chapters, next I give my students fifths, then— thirds, then—sixths, and the last consonant interval—fourths. Then I give dissonant intervals— sevenths, then—seconds, then—tritones.

Parallel with dissonant intervals it is possible to give students inversions of triads—six-threes and six-fours, and dominant 7th chords with inversions. Then—it will depend on the individual way of development of each student—some of them towards this stage will show spontaneous development of vertical pitch ear and will begin easily to perceive and effortlessly to keep in memory all vertical units they study, and generally will begin to recognize pitches in any vertical unit. But for some it will remain a gradual process of quantitative accumulation of pitch units in their pitch memory, and therefore, certain limitations are inevitable for such students. At this next stage I give my students all other 7th chords: • major-major • minor-minor • half-diminished • fully diminished • minor-major • major-augmented and their inversions Then I add chords of non-tertial structure. A reminder—it is necessary to work at separate units at the first stage, and at units, connected in progressions— tonal and atonal—and later on, to write two, four, and then three-part tonal and atonal dictations at later stages. Difficulties in verticalization of pitch ear are the reason of the difficulties in developing universal perfect pitch. Read the chapter "Universal or Selective"—though the majority of instruments other than the piano (with the exception of the organ and harpsichord) can't give such a variety of vertical combinations, those instruments on which it is possible to play vertical units—intervals or even chords— can be resistant to a certain ear in this


aspect, and of course, the orchestra, instrumental ensembles, and chorus produce all kinds of vertical combinations. For some it may be very difficult to master, though definitely not impossible, if one is ready to work at it. The main difficulty here is that, listening to "live" music, it is impossible to stop it at the right moment—to "break" the unit, if the pitches weren't recognized in that unit. I have noticed an interesting phenomenon—if in the classroom I begin to ask a student questions about the separate pitches he or she listens to—"Where does the pitch go? Was it a white or black key? Was it a bright or mellow pitch?"—this talk about the pitch, this analysis of the pitch usually brings about an absolutely correct identification of this pitch, as if when one begins to analyze his or her perception aloud, it helps to gather together disconnected, or connected in an unstable way components of pitch perception. The same is with vertical units—it helps to analyze them the way I described, when working at them with the student: • Does the interval sound as if comprised of two bright or two mellow pitches? • Or maybe one pitch in it is bright, another mellow? • Does the interval go up or down? • Do both pitches go down (or up) or does one go down (up), another stays on one plane? • Does it stay or move on one plane? • Does is move forward? Such questions direct the student's perception the right way. But the goal is to be able to identify pitches—in horizontal or in vertical units—in "live" music. This is a task of immense magnitude and difficulty, though by all means not impossible, if to persistently work at

listening to music played by an orchestra, chorus, or ensembles as well as by separate instruments in recordings, stopping every time the listening and checking yourself on the piano when you hear a certain chord, for example, and then—resuming listening. But in general, treat all the difficulties you encounter while working at vertical units not as a stumbling block, but as a nasty little trick that pitches play on you— and repay in kind! Overcome the difficulties, also using cunning tricks—helping yourself using your relative pitch, for example, in those cases when one of the pitches—usually upper or, rarer, lower, is clear in a certain chord, you may figure out all the other pitches relatively; analyzing aloud in the classroom the perception of those units you hear; using jolly games to master vertical units—the "cat and dog" game I described earlier and other games of this type—to emphasize the most resistant units. I usually give students at the lessons unbroken intervals and chords in groups—at first all triads, then all fifths, then all thirds—at first all major, then—all minor or vice versa, etc. When a student listens to several fifths or sixths in succession all pitch colors seem more obvious—on the background of other pitch colors of the intervals of the same kind. A more advanced stage is to give students "mixed" intervals and chords—it requires greater penetration into the sphere of pitch color of each vertical unit and a higher level of committing them to long-term memory. The next stage will be progressions of intervals and chords, where contextual "recoloring," which is inevitable even when "mixed" units are separate, assumes a much more drastic form.


I want to again emphasize: To verticalize your perfect pitch if you are truly committed to the task, you will need only time, going from stage to stage, ascending higher and higher on your way.


21 O

For People with Inborn Perfect Pitch

ften students come to my class, already having a certain kind of selective perfect pitch—most often, "dirty" perfect pitch, which is also sometimes selective in terms of range— only in middle octaves, and most often timbrally selective—a person is able to discern pitches only on the piano, or on the instrument he or she plays, and often—horizontally selective or vertically selective. My task in such cases is to "fix" this instability which is the characteristic trait of "dirty" perfect pitch. Sometimes it does not take much time to introduce the concept of pitch color to students, who already possess a marvelous sense of pitch location. As soon as the sense of pitch color is added as a much clearer component to the excellent sense of pitch location (some sense of pitch color that is switched on together with the sense of pitch location such students already possess, otherwise they wouldn't have even such, unstable kind of perfect pitch)—these students begin to recognize pitches always in a stable way—acquiring stable, "clear" perfect pitch. But sometimes to fix "dirty" perfect pitch may take more time—the inertia, the habit to perceive the pitch location first and foremost, and the habit to answer instantaneously, without analyzing their perception may lead to persistent slidings of a half-step down or up from the actual pitch—among so many correct recogni-

tions and, what pitch will slide today is unpredictable. Eventually, even such a resistant, unstable ear is stabilized by the same set of exercises I give to those students who start the second layer (see chapters "Grow a Row, Putting on Layers" and "Memory Fusion—Problems and Solution")—giving random pitches in all octaves, especially emphasizing the octaves that are the most unstable (usually the upper and lowest register), giving all kinds of vertical elements to those whose perfect pitch has no vertical limitations, and giving vertical elements, adding them in the usual order I described in the previous chapters for those whose perfect pitch is limited vertically. In some cases there are range limitations—then it is necessary at first to expand the perfect pitch of such students in terms of range, adding those octaves in which such students can't recognize pitches the way they are added for those who come to perfect pitch class, without being able to tell C from E even in the first octave above middle C, and then to proceed the way I described in previous chapters. Such students, of course, develop much easier and swifter, than students who came without any pitch recognition. The tasks for them should be much more challenging and they are able usually, to write much more complex dictations, so I give them most often the kind that is more difficult for them—it is a four-

For People with Inborn Perfect Pitch 86

part dictation with obvious verticality of the texture. For any kind of inborn perfect pitch, but especially so for horizontally and/or vertically selective, it is very convenient if the texture of the dictation is polyphonic—in such texture all pitches of several parts stand more or less in bold relief. But as soon as the texture is such that a vertical element is heard every moment—it is a challenging task for such students to write everything correctly, especially chords, where there are doubled notes. I give such students more complex "volleys" of pitches, more complex progressions of chords and intervals, such students, as a rule, quickly learn all the chords of the non-traditional (non-tertial) structure I introduce in my class, and it is possible to give them also multi-toned vertical clusters in quite a big range, without breaking them. Aural recall is not a problem for such students, even if there are at first range limitations. Usually, after some training, they easily imagine any pitch in any octave, and are able to follow a score, imagining exactly every pitch. If there are several such students in a class, it is possible to give them the task of singing Bach's Inventions—two and three-part, then the fugues from the "Wohltemperierte Klavier," then fugues by Reger, Hindemith, and any other kind of complex polyphonic pieces—in two, three, four, etc., voices, for them to start without being given an orientation point. Those students who wish to develop universal perfect pitch already having a timbrally selective one, should proceed as it is described in the chapter "Selective or Universal," usually for them it is a comparatively easy and swift process.

For People with Inborn Perfect Pitch 87

22 S

Selective or Universal

o after mastering the pitches on the piano in the range of more than seven octaves you acquired perfect pitch that is selective only timbrally (for those who mastered all the piano range but the lowest one and a quarter octaves, it is also selective in terms of range), or perfect pitch that is timbrally and vertically selective (if you had difficulties in mastering more complex vertical elements). Is it possible to develop perfect pitch to such an extent as to acquire universal perfect pitch—to be able to recognize pitches on any instrument, voice, from the orchestra, chorus, and not only horizontally, but in all vertical combinations too? Yes, it is possible to develop universal perfect pitch. Some people show spontaneous development of their universal perfect pitch while developing their perfect pitch on the piano—towards the last stages of the work on the piano they begin to spontaneously give recognition of pitches on other instruments on the same level of exactitude as on the piano they work with. More often one meets people with spontaneous "breakthroughs" in the realm of universal perfect pitch. Such people, during the development of their perfect pitch on the piano, from time to time recognize pitches either from other instruments, or from voices, or even from car horns—but these recognitions are not stable, they are not systematic: one time this person might recognize the pitch in a cer-

tain timbre, another time this timbre will obscure pitches for this same person. For such people timbral "walls"— imaginary walls, actually, are fragile enough to later on stabilize the universality of their pitch perception and to begin to recognize pitches accurately on all instruments and voices. Often such people play an instrument other than piano, and parallel with developing perfect pitch on the piano they develop it on the instrument they play, let us say, on the oboe. Students often tell me that on their own instrument it is even easier for them to recognize pitches than on the piano— the range is smaller, the timbre is familiar, no vertical combinations, or they are not so numerous—depending on the instrument. This is already one of the very important steps in acquiring universal perfect pitch—to master two timbres, instead of one, at one and the same time. So in principle, it should be absolutely possible for everyone to develop universal pitch perception—if one could master one timbre or two timbers, if one wishes, who can prevent this person from mastering other timbres the same way they mastered the piano or the piano and oboe? But one should always keep in mind—there are people for whom the timbral wall is truly a stone wall, to overcome it is a difficult and time-consuming task— for such people each timbre so heavily envelops the pitches, that this timbral bar-

Selective or Universal 88

rier may seem to them almost insurmountable if to speak of the necessity to master many timbres—all bowed strings, all woodwinds, all brass instruments, all percussions with definite pitches, harp, organ, all voices—female and male. To be realistic, would such a person want to spend so much time and effort on this truly gigantic task? There are timbres more or less convenient—some of them may offer more resistance than others even for people with prerequisites for developing universal perfect pitch. It is three times so for people with a high timbral barrier. This phenomenon—a high timbral barrier—is the reason why there are so many people with inborn selective perfect pitch—who can excellently all their lives identify pitches on one instrument, never being able to do so on other instruments— the timbre of other instruments completely obscures other components of pitch perception for them. So, if you are one of such people— with a timbral barrier that seems difficult to overcome—you should be prepared to cope with the formidable task if you want to develop universal perfect pitch—to master each timbre, each pitch in each octave in each existing timbre. If you want to do it, if you are ready to do it—then go ahead! You already know how to work with pitches, developing perfect pitch on the piano. The same way work with other timbres, with the help of partners—friends who play those instruments, with the help of tapes and listening to recordings and music on the radio or television. Some (e.g., bowed strings) will give you vertical elements—intervals and chords—try to master them the way you mastered vertical units on the piano, the amount of such units on bowed strings

seems limited in comparison with the piano. Work at pitches on wind instruments taking them not by octaves, as on the piano, but by registers—for example, the oboe—lower register—from B b below middle C to G above middle C, middle register—from G above middle C to G in the second octave above middle C, and the upper register—from G in the second octave above middle C to the end of the oboe's range. Each register on wind instruments has its own timbral peculiarities which can be easily recognized even by an untrained ear within the general timbre of the instrument. On bowed strings it is necessary to master the pitches not only when they are played arco—that is, with the bow, but when they are played pizzicato—that is, when the strings are plucked, and col legno—when the pitches are produced by the wooden part of the bow, or when harmonics are produced. What seems to be a difficulty for so many in these instruments with comparatively small range is that the notion of upper and lower register doesn't coincide in many cases with actual upper and lower register of pitches in the whole range which the human ear can perceive: the range that the piano embraces. So here, not only the timbre of the instrument in general terms obscures the pitch color and other components of pitch perception—different degree of tension, with which this note is played if it is in the upper, for example, register of a certain instrument adds to this phenomenon—of the pitch being obscured. For example, it is a great difference—A in the second octave above middle C, played on the piano, or played by the flute, or played on the cello—for the cello it will be upper register—the pitch


will have the specific great tension of an upper note. Of course, the ear in time can get conditioned to perceive all these peculiarities of the timbre and register of different instruments—simply it will take time, and it is not always easy to organize regular daily sessions with people who play these instruments. With voices the difficulty is in the fact that timbre of them is always highly individualized—there is no such thing as "general" timbre of, let us say, a soprano, like it is with piano or violin or clarinet or trumpet. Each person who sings has his or her own timbre of the voice—soprano or bass is much more the range than timbre. So the ear should get conditioned to overcome in time this infinite timbral variety of human voices. The orchestra and chorus will present other difficulties—mixed timbres are usually easier to master when you have already mastered at least several individual timbres of orchestral instruments, and when you have overcome the barrier of individuality of timbres of human voices. Another difficulty—when a person feels very uncomfortable listening to tapes, to music on radio, to recordings— timbre that is not "alive" seems to obscure pitches even when they are recognized in "live" timbres. This can also be overcome gradually—by doing it on a constant basis, but it may be time-consuming. I want here to give some useful tips to those who decide to develop universal pitch recognition. All wind instruments and the organ will give you a very clear picture of what we spoke about regarding the seventh dimension of pitch color—many students who play these instruments consider these qualities of pitches, their

"behavior" even more pronounced on winds, than on the piano. All bowed string instruments would give you the impression that everything is brighter in comparison with piano. But the brightness of B or A for example, will still be greater than that of D or E or Eb; that is, in comparison, still what is brighter, what is mellower will remain; still D, Eb, E, F would seem on the violin mellower than F#, G, G#, A, Bb, B. Of course, the direction—up or down, or aside, or forward—will remain, even during vibrato. Everything will seem mellower on guitar, harp, harpsichord, but "within" the timbre, comparative brightness or mellowness of the pitches will remain, the direction will remain. A couple of words about gradation pitch-ear—the ability to hear whether a pitch is sharpish or flattish, the ability to hear tiny gradations within the pitch. My pedagogical experience shows that some acquire this ability, some do not. If you are one of those who are not naturally predisposed to it, and therefore this skill doesn't come together with other skills you acquired just leave it be—this is something people with inborn perfect pitch complain about sometimes, if it comes by itself (in many cases it is so)— good, if not—it is just as good. Working with a partner who plays a bowed string instrument can help develop gradation pitch ear.


23 F

For Teachers of Children and for Parents, but to be read by everyone who holds this book

irst and foremost, I would like to mention the fact that many people who are considered to have inborn perfect pitch actually go through all the stages of its development in childhood, but this process very often is not noticed from outside, because the child can't analyze his or her aural perception, and is not attentive enough to notice when and how this process of discerning pitches began for him or her and through what stages it went. Most often perfect pitch in children is noticed by grown-ups much later than the actual beginning of the musical studies of the child—sometimes years after the child started to play an instrument. It is especially so in America, where solfege and music theory very often are not studied by the child parallel with playing the instrument, and at the lessons of piano (or flute or cello) it is very rare that an American teacher is interested whether a student can recognize pitches or not. So in reality many people who are considered to have an inborn perfect pitch developed it spontaneously in childhood during the first one, two, or sometimes more years of studies. But many children need help from the outside, need someone—a teacher, a parent—who would help them awaken their latent gift of pitch ear. Who are these children? My teaching experience has proved that children with inborn universal perfect pitch mainly are happy, healthy, wellloved children from harmonious families;

children, that are curious about the surrounding world—who are open to the world, children that are of sanguinic temper—who are cheerful, active, alert, lively as well as innerly harmonious, innerly balanced. Often such children are loving, kind, warm-hearted, and always selfassured, with a high feeling of self-worth. On the other hand, children, who are unhappy, sickly, traumatized, who are abused, or pressured too much, always under stress, who are afraid constantly of something or somebody, those from dysfunctional families, those who feel unloved by their parents, whose feeling of self-worth is low, rarely display inborn perfect pitch, as well as very shy, passive children, and children emotionally imbalanced, negative, morose, aggressive. Such children may later in life show spontaneous development of perfect pitch—when outer and inner conflicts are resolved or stop playing a drastic role in their lives. Konstantin K. came to me in Moscow at age 6, his parents were divorced and he lived for two years in an apartment with a cruel step-father and step-grandmother, who used to beat him. The boy couldn't recognize pitches. After two years of studying with me, and after moving with his mother and little sister into another apartment—thus removing the cause of his sufferings—he at age 8, began to display universal perfect pitch of the highest level.

For Teachers or Children and for Parents... 91

This ability was latent in him, but for a time suppressed by his unhappiness, his fears, and revealed itself as a result of emotional healing—he was free from his fears, and also as a result of the right system of ear-training combined with the system of emotional relaxation at our lessons. Often, if a child displays perfect pitch earlier than stress or a traumatic event in his or her life begins to suppress this ability, this child retains perfect pitch, but somewhat "imperfect" perfect pitch— selective or "dirty," unstable. Alexandra P., age 10, displayed perfect pitch at the age of 6 in Russia, then when she was 8, the family emigrated to the USA. The stress of emigration, of a new way of life, and new linguistic surroundings, made her perfect pitch selective and unstable. Now her perfect pitch is stabilized, after a year and a half of our lessons and after getting accustomed to her new surroundings. Always when a child (or an adult) comes to me with an otherwise excellent ear, and with general excellent musical abilities, but who is unable to recognize pitches (or doing it in an unstable way), behind it always stands an unresolved inner or outer conflict, trauma, stress, fear or uncertainty. The perfect pitch of many people can be suppressed for years till the spiritual and emotional healing takes place and brings it forth to life. Some would ask—why is it so, that perfect pitch is suppressed, and not some other musical ability—the performing or creative gift, for example, or relative pitch? The answer is that the traumatic experience always hits the most vulnerable spot, and recognition of pitches is such a subtle, refined auditory perception that it is more than any other musical ability influenced by mood, the current state of

mind and body, or by the circumstances of one's life. But sometimes trauma or stress can strike other musical abilities, leaving perfect pitch intact—I know such cases, when as a result of traumas, the creative gift was suppressed for years, perfect pitch being left intact. So the task of every parent who wishes for his or her child to have perfect pitch, is to attempt to create at home such an atmosphere as for the child to be happy and relaxed, and to always encourage the child so as for him or her never to feel uncertain. The task of a teacher is to help the child relax at the lessons, using games, interesting and funny stories and fairytales to gradually introduce to the child the world of pitches. What is the optimal age for a child to start? It is individual. Children are different not only in temperament, but in the level of general intellectual development. Some children can start as early as age 4 or 5, some at 6 or 7. The development of pitch ear in these younger children is extremely individualized—this process sometimes is very slow, much slower than in older children and in adults. Sometimes even an inborn perfect pitch can be "asleep" in a very young child for some time (for months, for a year or even more), until general intellectual development reaches such a level as to awaken it. Though I constantly work with these younger children, still my opinion is, that the best age for developing perfect pitch is not before 7, but after 7—when the general intellectual and musical development of a child is high enough, when a child's ear is cultivated by general musical


studies, by playing an instrument for some time, and by some relative ear-training. Very young children cannot understand why it is so desirable to have perfect pitch, so they lack motivation in comparison with adults and older children. Therefore, a teacher should be very inventive in order to constantly maintain a child's interest in the perfect pitch lessons. Perfect pitch in children is developed the way it is with adults—on the piano. If a child plays an instrument other than piano—on it too. I usually use for younger children the following fairy-tale to introduce pitches. Once there lived a little princess (prince). Her (his) name was Jane (Tom). She (he) had a kingdom of her (his) own— a magic forest in which magic animals and birds lived in beautiful houses Princess Jane (Prince Tom) built for them. This kingdom was rather small—only twelve families lived in it. Some of the houses were of shining, immaculate white color, some of them—of practical black color— easy to keep, but all houses were very cozy and comfortable. All families were quite large—mother, grandmother, father, grandfather, and in all families—not less than three children, and in two families there were even great-great grandfathers, and in one family—a fourth child—a newborn baby. The first families that moved into the four white houses were families of C, E, G, B. Then a teacher should describe the families to a child— Mommy C—middle C, Granny C—C an octave lower, Daddy C—C two octaves lower than middle C, Grandpa C—the lowest C, then three children—three pitches C in the three octaves above middle C, and a baby—the highest C.

A teacher should ask the child— what animals were the family of C, who will live in the first white house? What do you think, hearing C—is it mellow, or bright, heavy or light by weight, dark or light? Where does it go— up or down? Usually children answer these questions willingly, sometimes giving unusual definitions to pitches, almost always being able to give the pitches definitions of visual colors, even though these definitions are rarely the sign of synesthetical perception, which I described in Chapter 6, "Esthetics of Synesthetic." On the basis of these definitions the child will choose the animal for the house of C (it may be a bird, or a fish). Don't curb the child's fantasy, even if it seems to you that definitions are too far-fetched for a certain tone—pitch colors as yet are not clear for a child. The same as you did with pitch C should be done with pitches E, G, and B at the first lesson. Then, further on, at subsequent lessons, a teacher and a small student create a fairy-tale together, giving houses—white and then black—to more and more families (adding pitches in the order described in the "Grow a Row" chapters), inventing interesting stories about those animals— pitches—parties, adventures, music school for children of those animals, picnics, visiting, etc. This is preliminary work—the child is only getting acquainted with pitches without trying to recognize them. A teacher should always choose the appropriate moment in a child's development to start the pitch ear-training—that same way, as with adults, as I described in the "Grow a Row" chapters—in the two octaves—above and below middle C and adding pitches gradually—C, E, G, B; then A, then D, the last white—F; then all "black" pitches—F#, Bb, C#, Eb, Ab.


To younger children it is possible to give only horizontal pitches, vertical elements will come later on—when a child is older, and when his or her relative pitch is also developed parallel with horizontal pitch ear. With older children—after 10 and of high-school age—it is possible to work the way I described for adults. Children, in comparison with adults, having lack of motivation, have the great advantage of having a parent or a sibling as a partner at home, to play the keys on the piano. It is necessary to have a piano at home for pitch ear-training. If a child plays a instrument other than the piano, it is possible to develop his or her pitch ear on this instrument with the help of that teacher who teaches the child violin or flute for example, allotting five minutes of each lesson to listening to and identifying the pitches on this instrument. The expansion of a child's perfect pitch in the terms of range goes the same way as with adults. Aural recall should be introduced the same way I described in the "Grow a Row" chapters. Children usually love to work with rhythmic patterns, filling them in with pitches they currently study. For many children this exercise is the awakening of their creative gift—they begin to compose music. The development of pitch ear in children seems to me of the greatest importance—it will enhance the general musicianship, general ear-alertness of a child, it will improve memorizing, sightreading, tone-production, it will also help develop creativity in a child. It will boost up the general intellectual development of a child . . . Teachers and parents should exert all efforts to help the child develop perfect pitch.

More about developing perfect pitch in children will be in my next book: Perfect Pitch for Your Child.


24 H

Go to the Limitless, Perceive the Whole

uman possibilities and abilities are limitless if we think of ourselves as of inseparable parts of Eternity. You, probably, have heard of the phenomenon of multiple personality disorder, when one person, unconsciously, from time to time turns into different person, or even several different persons— each of which will have distinctive traits of character, different abilities, even state of health. Often a person stricken with this disorder will display an outstanding gift for something—be it music, visual arts, poetry, etc., which he or she wouldn't display in their natural state. If a person can display certain outstanding abilities, impersonating someone else unconsciously, why not unlock this potential on conscious level? Have you noticed, that sometimes musically gifted children, playing the game—imagining that they are outstanding musicians, can do miraculous things, playing a piece many times more difficult than it is expected from them to play, and many times better than they usually play? For traumatized people their world crumbled and is smashed into pieces. They are prisoners of this divided world, a world separated into bits. Only those who perceive the world as a whole entity can easily perceive separate parts, separate elements of it, such as pitches. Others, who are in the bondage of separateness, paradoxically can't perceive and recognize well separate elements,

such as pitches—for them they are too disconnected to be kept in memory. But in reality it is not a paradox— what is connected, united into something whole keeps in memory and is recognized better than just a disconnected particle. For example, we easily recognize a nostril when seeing a nose on a human face and the whole face. But try to recognize a nostril if you see just a drawing of this opening—we wouldn't probably understand what it is. The same is with pitches—there is a primary feeling of the pitch row—of a veritable rainbow of pitches, and like a rainbow of visual colors, it gives us simultaneously the feeling of each separate pitch, of each color in a rainbow, and the feeling of all the rainbow at once—we recognize pitches as parts of the whole. Those who can't recognize pitches—you didn't lose your rainbow; it only became obscured by the dark clouds of your circumstances, by the peculiarities of your way of perceiving the world. Now it is time to clear, to set free your rainbow of pitches. If you are reading this book now it means that this moment came—you would never want to have what is not already yours. On this way there are no limitations—you can start developing perfect pitch at any age, with any musical background, playing any instrument. All that prevents people from perceiving and recognizing pitches is the illusion of separateness; different timbre

Go to the Limitless, Perceive the Whole 95

prevents a person from recognizing pitches on the instruments other than the one he or she plays. Different registers prevent another person from recognizing pitches in a register other than the middle. Different texture—prevents a person who easily recognizes horizontal, separate pitches from recognizing them in vertical units—chords and intervals. But this separateness of timbres, registers, texture is only a mirage, a capricious play of our perception. There is a flow of vibrations, produced by musical instruments, human voices and other material objects—an indivisible field, which is part of the cosmic flow, and at the same time—part of you, and you—part of it. We ourselves divide, chop into bits called pitches, this indivisible field—we actually touch Eternity here—this division can go on infinitely (see Chapter 1). As soon as you acknowledge the field of musical pitches as part of you, and yourself—part of it, you'll begin to move along the way to be able to recognize, to catch in this flow separate bits of it—separate pitches. That the field of pitches is part of each human being was proved by the Gandharva therapy of Ayurveda—based on thousands of years of experience that certain combinations of pitches and also the way an instrument is tuned (sharpish, flattish) cause reaction of human organism; no matter who listens to this therapeutic music, whether the patients have any musical background or not—the patients can be absolutely unaware of what pitches were played, but all would experience beneficial changes—lowering their blood-pressure, getting rid of pain, lowering their cholesterol level, etc., because the field of pitches is the intrinsic part of us, and we—of it.

So, go to the limitless, infinite, become part of it and let it become part of you. Let go of everything that brings separateness in your perception, let go of doubts, of memories and concepts that make you feel uncertain and insecure. Who are you, seekers of perfection, readers of this book? No matter, whether you are a professional musician who wishes to develop perfect pitch to be able to penetrate the deepest mysteries of the essence of music, or an amateur who wishes to develop perfect pitch to know when to tune your piano, you are welcome to start the fascinating quest—to regain back your twelvepitch rainbow.

Go to the Limitless, Perceive the Whole 96

"On Keys" Joseph A. Bachour

Sometimes I think D major is the secret of the Universe, while C major is the gloriously beautiful and brutal existance of life on earth. Of course, G major is the heaven's mysteries—a glance for us. E major is a cry to beauty. E minor will never be answered. F major and minor are grounded in the robust pleasures and trials of man's pre-electric, purely mechanical world—happy to put bulky contraptions to work —a windmill, a watermill, even the steam engine. b B major can be elegant, not delicate and never fragile, but large, round and profound. C# major is delicate, almost ready to break, or ready to break you. Its effect can be subtle or crushing. Be careful. # C minor is already dead. It's just not living anymore. Eb major pretends to be very alive and robust, but it is only keeping its back to its neighbor: C #. Eb minor has turned around and is facing back. The outcome is not clear. C minor will eventually win—not to be hopeless. It is Ab minor that should despair. Bb minor has seen tragedy, but D minor has either never known it, or offers noble consolation. Maybe D minor could know of the secrets of it's parallel major. It has hope to cope. Ab major is sometimes regal, usually full and grand. It is this worldly joy, though, not the deepest kind. A major is stunning glory that knows what is above, and has both head and hands already there. Heels are lifted off the ground. A minor is the same, the other half, though. Those toes are still touching. For encouragement, I would never look to B minor. It can only be, or usually be brutal and painful. F # major would take me for a ride, and a seemingly very pleasant one and exciting, but is all this so very lasting and fulfilling? F # minor was alive and pumped a heart, but the heart dried up and became brittle. It might be collected by science as a specimen now, but carefully, and needs to be protected by glass. B major is alert with eyebrows up and nerves ready to receive stimulation. It also cries out (but to what?) and could even be brash. G minor —a little bit sleepy. It is healthy, but tired— still young, not jaded, but worn some. It probably will have troubles and trials ahead, and is beginning to know it.

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Appendix I - Samples of R hythmic Patterns 1.

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Appendix II - samples of "Volleys" 2

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Appendix III 1-part Dictations - tonal 1.

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4-part Dictations - tonal 1.

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Perfect Pitch for You

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