Perfect Pitch: Is it Really Necessary?
What is perfect pitch? It’s when tones can be identified when heard. For example, if I play a G note on the piano and someone can name that note correctly, they are considered to have perfect pitch.
Is perfect pitch necessary in order to play and create music? NOT AT ALL!
You don’t even have to know what notes you’re playing in order to make music. Having perfect pitch is not the great asset some would have you believe it is. Yet many students want to acquire this skill.
Let’s see what having perfect pitch can actually do for you. It can let you know what key you’re playing in. Nice, but we have key signatures that make this task obsolete. Most musicians are already aware of the key they’re playing in before they sit down to play. Even jazz musicians determine key before playing. True, they may deviate from the original key but having perfect pitch is not required for this.
You can tell what note you’re playing when you play it. So what! A typist knows what letter they’re typing when then input it into the keyboard but knowing what the letter is doesn’t make for good writing.
Having perfect pitch is not really a skill anyone should waste their time learning. If you do have it (and some people are born with this ability) then great. If you don’t, please save your time and energy and don’t be sold on the idea that knowing what note you’re playing will make you a great musician. It won’t. It will make you aware of what note you’re playing and that’s that. Nice for the ego. Unnecessary for making music… no matter what instrument you play.