Perfect Pitch (Dec 2023)
It was just another rehearsal, not particularly important or close to any concert dates, and I was tired. My attention kept drifting away, and I was barely listening to the altos singing their part. As I half heartedly followed the musical score, I cringed. It sounded off. That last measure on page 3 was definitely not right.
“Can we do that one more time?” our conductor, Elizabeth, requested.
When the altos sang the line again, the whole choir erupted in laughter. It was definitely wrong. Everyone turned around in their seats trying to pinpoint who was messing up. I glanced at the score and immediately spotted the issue.
“They’re in the wrong key,”I thought, surprised, no one else had mentioned it. At that moment, I didn’t feel like sharing the obvious piece of information. After all, I wasn’t the conductor, and I knew my own parts just fine. I checked the time - It was 6:25 - 5 minutes till dismissal - and, as previously mentioned, I was tired. So, I went home and thought nothing of it.
A week later, we encountered a similar problem. We were practicing one of our pieces for our competition in Korea, and some of our high notes sounded a bit off. We were supposed to be singing a D, and each time we were either a little sharp or a little flat.
“Someone sing a D” Elizabeth asked, her eyebrows furrowed.
I hummed the note instinctively. Our pianist played the note right after and it perfectly matched. I wasn’t really surprised; all singers know what a D sounds like, right? And yet, half the choir’s heads snapped in my direction. “Wow, you have perfect pitch?”my friend asked. I was taken aback – isn’t that a common skill?
It turns out perfect pitch, technically referred to as “absolute” pitch, is extremely rare, even among musicians. Approximately 0.01% of people are believed to have it! I was baffled and a bit confused as I explored this unique ability, my unique ability, online. What was the point of this ability, apart from occasionally impressing someone?
My question was answered last summer when our choir went to compete in South Korea. During a rehearsal, Elizabeth gave me a look – I knew that look. It meant she needed a starting pitch.. On command, I hummed the note and she gave me a smile before cuing us to begin. From then on, people would ask me to sing them with accurate notes during rehearsal to confirm if others were singing correctly or to help them adjust.
Having perfect pitch has allowed me to feel more confident in my musical aptitude, as well as more confident as a person. I began speaking up during rehearsals and found myself more willing to help those around me after realizing my potential. I look forward to seeing where my newfound ability will take me in future choir performances!
