"I think that the ability to identify pitches is something that most people could train themselves to do, but I personally have never tried and don't desire it.

"More important to me is Relative Pitch. Here, a musician clearly hears the intervals between notes. Coming from a jazz background, this is very important. In free improvisation, perfect pitch to me would fill my mind with something undesirable (namely thoughts). I'd rather be a blank slate to react without considering specific pitches.

"I've known people with perfect pitch who have a hard time enjoying certain music which I love. Gamelan music with its odd divisions of the octave, or even the playing of John Coltrane. If you've decided that a pitch must sound a certain way to fit into a system, then Trane's playing is just out of tune often. I'd rather just enjoy the sound."

~ Rob Piilonen
(flautist, composer, improviser)
myspace.com/robstunes