Absolute Pitch 2.24

Absolute Pitch 2.24 is considered as a professional and useful musical ear trainer that uses a unique method to help you acquire absolute or perfect pitch. You learn to recognize a particular note by listening to a random (atonal) sequence that includes the note. Whenever the note is played, your aural recognition is reinforced by visual stimuli that serve to connect the sound of the note with its name and position on the piano keyboard. When you are confident you know the note after an ear training session, you can proceed to take a test. With its resizable seven-octave piano keyboard, the software can also be used to play music with your computer keyboard or mouse.

Musicians with extremely good relative pitch can give results indistinguishable from those having absolute pitch, but they are always at a disadvantage in having to hear a reference tone, such as Middle A, first. You may have noticed this in purely vocal concerts, where the musicians hold tuning forks to their ears before starting a new movement.

Having absolute pitch makes it easier for a composer or performer, especially of atonal music, to retain and hear complex melodies and harmonies in his or her head (Schoenberg mentions his ability in a letter; Boulez is well known for it). For any singer, it obviates the use of a reference pitch, and ensures that performing without instrumental accompaniment, such as in a barbershop quartet, doesn't risk a gradual sliding out of tune during a piece.

The Absolute Pitch program works by presenting notes in an atonal, rather than tonal, context to reduce the possibility of using relative pitch. You learn a particular note by listening to a random sequence that includes the note. Whenever the note is played, your aural recognition is reinforced by visual stimuli that serve to connect the sound of the note with its name and position on the piano keyboard. When you are confident that you know the note well enough, you can proceed to take a test.

In addition, with its resizable seven-octave piano keyboard, the software can also be used to play music using either your mouse or computer keyboard (like the Sweet Little Piano program).

Enhancements:

• Version 2.24 is a bug fixing release.