General Music ?: Sharp ear

[Danner]

I play concert flute, and that is what I play on the most. Usually I can play an A=440 and tell, oh, that's sharp or flat by ear. When I check it with a tuner, it is right on the spot. Recently though, I have been around 20 cents sharp. I have also recently had more problems tuning and have not been able to "hear" the pitch I'm tuning to. Sometimes when I tune to a pitch, I'm right there. But the times when I can't "hear" it, I try my best to match it, but according to the tuner I'm ~20 cents sharp.

So, what is happening? Has my ear gone sharp or what? I've been trying to practice tuning to organ pitches and then checking it with a tuner. My ears are just soooo confused though.

[Tyghress]

Any chance you have a little cold coming on, or a bit of sinus congestion? Allergies?

My other thought is that you have played another instrument, or near another instrument that is 20 cents off and your ear has retrained itself.

I wish I came close to being able to tune by ear.

[Cynth]

Have you considered getting your hearing checked by a doctor?

[spittin_in_the_wind]

Try recording A440 and then play it back using whatever device you generally listen to music on. Maybe it is reproducing tones sharper than they were recorded. I had a CD player that played to a different intonation than other CD players; sharp or flat, I don't remember. It was really apparent if I swapped CDs between it and another CD player. I guess you could test your equipment that way, too, might be easier than recording A440.

Robin

[BrassBlower]

So, what is happening? Has my ear gone sharp or what?

[Flyingcursor]

Brassblower.

[amar]

So, what is happening? Has my ear gone sharp or what?

excellent!

[GaryKelly]

So, what is happening? Has my ear gone sharp or what?

excellent!

Fascinating.

[Danner]

...I have been hanging out with those Elves in Mithgar, but I don't think that's the problem. I checked my whistle, and the way I normally have it adjusted is almost 20 cents sharp. This might be part of my problem. In celtic band, which is where I tune my whistle, everyone tunes to the accordion's or harp's A. They might be tuned to something sharp. (A=442 perhaps?) Or, I might be tuning myself 20 cents sharp when I can't really hear the pitch (like I said in my original post). I usually listen to music in the car, and I haven't gotton a chance to check that yet. It just occured to me that it might be our T.V. You know how commercials always sound louder. The station doesn't actually change the volume, but instead they increase the frequency, and that makes it sound louder. I tried to check it, but my tuner wasn't picking up the pitches on commercial jingles, etc.

[s1m0n]

It's not unheard of for people with perfect pitch to drift either flat or sharp (I forget which) by a consistent amount with age.

[Joseph E. Smith]

excellent!

Fascinating.

... most, illogical...

[Danner]

It's not unheard of for people with perfect pitch to drift either flat or sharp (I forget which) by a consistent amount with age.

I know I don't have perfect pitch (if I understand the definition correctly). I can only say, "Oh, that's an A or that's an E," when I'm listening to a whistle or simple system (Irish) flute, because each note has a different tonal quality. On orchestral instruments, I can usually just say that a pitch is dead on, flat, or sharp to a certain degree. I can only do that with bowed strings and winds (not percussion or plucked string for some reason), and I can only do it with middle range instruments (not tubas or basses, and I have problems with piccolos).

I tried to tune by ear just now, and I got really close on all of my tries (usually dead on, but no more than ~5 cents off) when I consiously tried to tune it a little flat. When I tuned it how it seemed right, I was between 15 and 20 cents sharp. Note: I didn't look at the tuner until I found the pitch I was going for, and I randomly adjusted my flute in a different way for every try.

My ability probably has not been altered by age, because I haven't been able to do this for more than a year probably, and I'm 14 now.

[Darwin]

It's not unheard of for people with perfect pitch to drift either flat or sharp (I forget which) by a consistent amount with age.

Few of us get sharper with age.

[Charlene]

excellent!

Fascinating.

... most, illogical...

If Danner's only 14 he probably doesn't recognize the reference - unless he watches the reruns on the Sci-Fi channel! Makes me feel really old.

Live long and prosper.

[Band Nerd]

I can tell a few notes by ear. Mostly just D, Eb, and Bb.