I can say (from my experiences) having the "perfect pitch" would be making my life easier early... Today however, it doesn't matter really as at the end is the results what are important. If you are proficient with a instrument then you will be always better than someone less capable but with this "PP".herodotus wrote:There has been a lot of really untrue stuff asserted here. But the worst is the part about certain keys having certain moods.herodotus in an almost totally ignored post wrote: Since 1600 or so western music has employed various different forms of intonation:
Just intonation is the most pure, in the sense that it employs acoustically pure consonances. The problem is that the nature of acoustics (and the dreaded Pythagorean comma) limits one to only a few keys and a few octaves.
To deal with this, the system of temperament called meantone was employed, which retains the acoustically pure thirds while narrowing the fifths and fourths. This was the regnant system when Bach was writing his early music. It allows for 8 different keys and has a rich harmonic coloration that changes from key to key (which is the historical origin of the notion that there are mood/key associations). Meantone was very slowly replaced with equal temperament. It didn't happen overnight the way midi has. There is reason to believe that the well tempered clavier is in fact written in an intonation different from the one we use today.
A different intonation is completely different from a different tuning. The relationships between the intervals don't change in equal temperament, no matter what middle A is. Conversely, a keyboard in meantone intonation will sound different from a keyboard in equal temperament., even if middle A=440 on both of them...........
In equal temperament ALL KEYS ARE HARMONICALLY IDENTICAL!!!
And as for whether having absolute pitch makes it easier or harder to be a musician: NO ONE CAN KNOW THIS. This is because one only knows ones own experiences, and one either does or does not have absolute pitch. Meaning that one can't intelligently evaluate the experiences of others who are different.
I can improvise like crazy and making new riffs, melodies aren't a problem for me. Unless I had to transcribe the "PP" is useless for me. It's all about the expresion and ability to let it flow.
Bach had a "PP" for sure however his music excellence was far more due to his intellect than just this ability. You see... you would find (probably) many idiots with "PP" and with zero musical abilities too...
After all it a musicality and it's counting the most. How you will achieve it isn't important.
Yes, I know one person (guitarist) with (very) perfect pitch. If you would meet him once you would be totally in an awe... However if you had to meet him more times this impression would dimish...