Re: Absolute frequency / Perfect Pitch ?? (Alexandra Hettergott )

Subject: Re: Absolute frequency / Perfect Pitch ??
From:    Alexandra Hettergott  <a.hettergott(at)wanadoo.fr>
Date:    Sun, 6 May 2001 23:14:41 +0200

Christian Spevak wrote :
>Has anybody heard of people having an "absolute" perception of (shades
>of) colors? Maybe painters? Ok, this is an auditory list...
Well, Imho that the comparison color / pitch value is a valid one in
this regard : we do (quasi) 'naturally' have something like an
'absolute' memory for colors (so as for (as usual) different shades of,
e.g., red / blue / green / gray ..., in general we don't have any
difficulties to recognize any of these (basic) colors as such), while in
the analogous (pitch) case this is yet the exception rather than the
rule ; it might be worth noting, however, that a ('natural') 'absolute'
(long-term) memory does well exist in audition as far as the 'storage'
contents of our auditory memory are concerned (e.g., certain
environmental (alarm) signals, (native) language items, (familiar)
voices ...; similar to smell again, though ...).
As to term 'absolute' it might be preferable as the dichotomy
'absolute - relative' refers, too, to different manners of (categorical)
perception.
:ah