I can just barely read standard musical notation but it’s far from fluent. I’m wondering if, with enough practice you can look at sheet music that you have never heard or seen before and sound it out in your head before ever touching your instrument?

  • oce 🐆@jlai.lu
    14·
    3 days ago

    Musicians well trained in music theory can correctly sing intervals given a first reference note (relative pitch). Then a small portion of them also have the ability to not need a reference note to find the correct pitch, it’s called absolute pitch (there’s a debate if it’s an innate ability, and it is a superpower with downsides).
    So the answer is yes, at least with a first reference note. But it may take years of practice. I think all professional classical musicians have this ability.

      • TheRealKuni@piefed.socialEnglish
        7·
        2 days ago

        Choirs are really good at being in tune with one another, but not necessarily in tune with absolute pitch. So if you’re a singer with absolute pitch, your life is looking at a note on a page, knowing what that note SHOULD sound like, but then singing a slightly off-pitch note to be in tune with everyone else. Or even a completely different note if the group has shifted enough.

        Or if a group decides that a piece isn’t in a good range for someone, and they decide to sing in a different key, for most people it’s really easy. Take the new starting note and go. But if you have absolute pitch you have to transpose on the fly if you’re sight reading.

        That said, I think given the choice I’d take absolute pitch. My wife has it and she can sight read so much better than I can.