Tuesday, May 13, 2025

The Correct Note Is Higher Than Our Mind Perceives

At your risk.

It is only at the threshold of hearing (very small sound intensity) that (objective) frequency and (subjective) pitch become one. At higher intensity the same frequency creates a lower pitch perception [1}. So my recent listening observation is that good musicians, vocalists, violin, flute players,.., may play the first few milliseconds of a note flat but almost immediately raise pitch to make, what they just started to play, match with the backing track. It works even when singing a cappella. In fact it is the first time I can feel myself singing in tune and not flat. 

This is how it works for me at the moment. I immediately have in mind, counter to intuition, to raise my pitch just after starting any note. Singing for example a A h, where 'A' is at a higher frequency than 'a' the flat nonsense I thought I should sing.  Once you start increasing the note frequency a feedback mechanism tells you when note is perfect. Then you are happy and audience is possibly happy too.

When I was transferred to the military headquarters of Hellenic Airforce while doing my military service someone told me about this and I kind of thought it sounds crazy. I never saw him again but now after many years I would like to thank him.

Here are a few examples:





Reference [1]:

Sound and Hearing - Time Life Encyclopedia - Chapter 4: Mind's Influence - S.S. Stevens (Harvard University), F. Warshofsky   



  

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