Customer Reviews

Perfect Pitch Supercourse

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I've been trying David L. Burges' course now for several weeks.
The course comes with about 10 or 12 cassettes which contain about twenty something master classes. If your looking for answers on how to acquire perfect pitch, it's not here. Burges' philosophy is basically this: Let the pitches come to you....
Many of the exercises require a partner and as such your partner will play a tone on the piano, say any tone from C to F, and you must name it. Well, If I could do that, I'd have perfect pitch. As far as information, the whole course on perfect pitch can be reduced to one cassette. The rest of the cassettes waste alot of time with David recounting stories of his youth and perfect pitch stories. He even devotes a whole side of a cassette, explaining why drugs are not good to use. For the amount of money one pays for this course, he could have given more concise methods in attaining perfect pitch and less time with childhood stories and drug lectures. At no point is any magical answer or method given to create perfect pitch.

To summarize:

Start:
He talks about how wonderful perfect pitch is. It's so easy to get. It's very simple. Its magic. Its color, but not real color, its hearing color, also described as texture, and flavor. Each note has these.

Listener:
Uh ok. What am I supposed to be listening for?

Explanation:
You should absorb the note. Spend time with the note. Look for the notes flavor and color. Like, to me, the F note sounds twangy. When I was a kid I remember my piano sounding twangy. I wont give you anymore clues than that. You'll have to describe the characteristics of each note yourself. Each note has a unique characteristic.

Listener:
I knew that. If each note didnt have a characteristic it wouldnt be possible to differenciate notes. What should I do to increase my ability to find characteristics?

((several hours of listening later))

Explanation: Go with a partner have them play notes and try to identify them.

Listener: Mmm you didnt give any techniques besides playing non melodically and I was already training that before buying this thing. Guess and check isnt 100$ advice.

Explanation: Drugs(subtances, alcohol too) are bad. (says that for like an hour) If you can get 20 notes in a row with perfect pitch continue playing this tape.




David Burge has a wonderful way of using parallels and comparisons to waste your time. He gets to the point yes, but he continues saying the same thing for an hour without providing any more than guess and check technique looking for characteristics of the note.

He cites his past numerous times at random during the lecture talking about he can recognize peoples voices by pitch, how he used to brag about it in high school, how people would ask him to sing notes for him, etc.


You may gain perfect pitch from the tapes. I assume those who rated this high just got the motivation to do guess and check and are still zealously trying to convince themselves their $100 was well spent. This is more of a general self help tape than a standardized educational method of teaching. There's more motivating and rambling than educating.



Guess notes throughout the day and check yourself. Try to find various ways to describe the notes. Use a friend and compare with them. This advice is way better than Burge's I-dont-know-its-a-feeling generalities.

I grew up listening to people say that perfect pitch was only something you could be born with, and when I bought this course, I was really unsure about it, but the money back guarentee made me give it a shot. The scary thing was, unlike most things in the world, David Burge's ad actually DID what it said it would, and now my ear is PERMINANTLY BETTER. I dont even practice anymore, and I still can recognize any note by ear. The only reason this course works is because it is so SIMPLE. I highly recommend this to anyone in the world.

Well, after spending several weeks on this course, I have been very disappointed. If your looking for an answer to perfect pitch, It's not here. David Burge's answer to perfect pitch comes down to this, Let the notes come to you... Alot of the exercises given in the course require pitch recognition with a partner. For example, you'll have your partner play a pitch, say from a C to an F anywhere on the keyboard and you must recognize it. Well, if I could do that, I'd have perfect pitch already. Furthermore, there are about 10 cassette with about 24 master classes. Many of the classes and most of the time is wasted in David relaying old stories about his youth and perfect pitch stories. Nothing there of any value you can use. He even goes as far as dedicated a whole side to a cassette to explain why drugs are no good, especially for perfect pitch. The whole course of information relating to perfect pitch can be reduced to probably one cassette. The rest of the time it's just babling and rhetoric, nothing to do with what we're trying to achieve. For the amount of money spent on this course, I really wish David could really give answers and methods to finding perfect pitch instead of stories about his life and free drug lectures. If you want to try David's exercises you can go to [website] and try similar exercises on your own time and save your self a ton of money.

The course works. What Burge claims is true, however, success is VERY dependant upon finding an ear training partner to practice the excercises with every day. If you do not have such a partner it is REALLY hard to succeed with the course. Unfortunately, most musicians do not like doing ear training! Pity, because Burge's ear training courses have so much to offer. I have listened to and read many people discuss and analyse perfect pitch, and in my experience Burge's understanding and explaining of this skill is far more convincing and believable than anything else I've come across.

I bought the course some time ago. At first, I was very angry because I couldn't find a partner. But then I discovered the "perfect pitch solo tape" (included with the course) which gives you instructions for completing the course alone. Since then I've been doing the excercises by myself. It REALLY improves your hearing!

I also recommend the Relative Pitch SuperCorse, by the same author.

It really worked! I can actually hear and recognize the pitches. Every musician needs to know about this course! The ear means EVERYTHING in music.

I did not have a partner, but I didn't need one. The course now has a special tape included that gives instructions for practicing the exericises alone. They are very easy and effective. With Perfect Pitch I now hear music in a totally different light. Thanks for this amazing and valuable asset to my musicianship!