Detecting absolute pitch by ear

Question

I've been playing classical guitar for a few years and my theory is not bad. I also think that I am really good at detecting relative pitch and chords. I can play most of the things (solo or chords) I hear by ear, and say if a chord is major, minor etc.

The problem is that, I cannot detect the absolute pitch easily. Sometimes I remember a song that I was listening some time ago, and while it plays in my mind I can play it on my guitar, too. And when I start playing the song on my computer, what I see generally is that I just transposed whole the song without knowing. Sometimes it is only a half step, sometimes half a scale. Also, I can say the scale of a song, but not the key.

Is there any special exercise that I can do to improve this?

Answer 1

I used to have the same problem.

I don't know if there is actually an "official" absolute pitch training, but I bet it's a long journey.

Now, here's an easy thing you can do as a good start:

1. Pick up a few "reference" tunes that you know by heart, and for which you know you can remember the pitch perfectly without any help. It could be songs you know since you're little, or ones you actually listen to very regularly. (for example I use the first notes of Bach's Toccata in D minor)
2. Remember the scale of these reference tunes. (easier if the scale is in the name: the toccata in D minor is actually in D minor!)
3. Whenever you're listening to some new song you plan to cover, shut your ears and play one of your reference tunes in your mind, then relatively determine the scale of the new song by comparing it with the scale of this tune you know by heart. Remember it.

Then when you try to cover the song with your instrument a few minutes later, you will know the scale of your song in advance, and there won't be any bad surprise when you compare your version to your computer's one anymore.

Answer 2

As eyam said, a song you know really well from when you were young is good to play and then check by listening to it. Problem being that as soon as you know how to play it/ knowing which key/frets/fingering you start in, you are no longer testing your absolute pitch.

Might be better to wake up every morning and have that note playing in your head, then go to your guitar and play the note and see if its the same. Or even better, humm the tune into your guitar tuner because if you are getting good / within a semitone you will need to see how far out you are.

EDIT: the morning part when you wake up is because you have no musical influence then. You could argue that if you hear a song on the radio that for the rest of the day you are just using relative pitch. I don't have absolute pitch just relative pitch and if I hear a song I like on the radio it can play in my head until the evening and still be in key.

Answer 3

Even though I’ not a musician, I've always had the ability to identify notes on the guitar and piano from their pitch. By the way I recommend Mnemonics for Perfect Pitch if someone wants to acquire some level of absolute pitch.

Answer 4

The ability to aurally remember a song in the correct key (or within two semitones) is called the Levitin Effect. It is discussed in Sometimes I naturally sing songs in the right key. Do I have perfect (absolute) pitch?