Absolute Pitch refers to the actual note or pitch that is being played, be it an A above the middle C, or an F# below middle C!
People who are able to identify notes just by hearing them are said to possess Perfect Pitch, as they would know exactly what note you played just by listening to them!
For the majority of us, having Perfect Pitch is probably beyond our abilities, but we can certainly begin to develop a good sense of hearing by doing some simple ear training exercises.
The most simple of the ear training exercises would be to play some random notes on the piano or keyboard, and to sing back these notes in the correct pitch after they are played.
Here is a demonstration of how this is done:
Single Note Exercise Demonstration
The singer uses a simple 'La' syllable to sing the various pitches, and the emphasis here is on getting the singing pitch to coincide with the actual or absolute pitch that was played.
This tests your listening ability, and also your ability to sing out the pitch that you hear, and to make sure that it is the same as what is being played! This is certainly an extremely important skill for us singers!
Now it is your turn to try out this simple exercise! I have uploaded some simple practice music here for you to try these exercises on your own!
For those of you with Perfect Pitch, challenge yourselves further by identifying the absolute pitch of the notes that are being played!
Single Note Exercise - Male Key
Single Note Exercise - Female Key
Were you able to sing in the pitch that was being played? Do also get someone to help you out by listening to what is being played and letting you know whether you sang to the correct pitch or not!
For those with Perfect Pitch, were you able to identify the absolute pitch of the notes that were being played?
Here are the notes that were played in the practice music:
1) Male Key - middle C, F, E, A, F, Bb below middle C, middle C 2) Female Key - middle C, Bb below mid C, A below mid C, D, F, E, C
For those of us who do not have perfect pitch, do not fret! It is certainly an impressive skill to have, but not a vital skill for us to have as singers!
A good sense of relative pitch and a strong ability to sing in pitch with what is being played would be sufficient for us to sing perfectly in pitch with the music for any song!
Once you are able to sing the various single notes accurately and in pitch, you can test yourself further by playing 2 or 3 notes or even more, and sing back what you just played.
This will test your sense of hearing and pitching, and also improve your melodic memory, which is important for us singers to have!
Absolute Pitch Training will certainly help us to achieve a perfect pitch, but what is more important is to be able to sing accurately in tune with the music for the songs that we sing!