Are you tone-deaf?

square peg · Post by **square peg** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 4:22 pm

I'm wondering if, as sensory processing is sometimes affected by dyspraxia, trouble with distinguishing between tones might be too. Hard as I try, I don't usually seem to hear myself when I sing because I'm trying to think about how it's supposed to sound at the same time. So I can't tell when I sound really bad and when I'm... moderately bad. Neither can I tell when someone is 'flat' or slightly out of tune. If two notes are sounded, unless they're at least several notes apart, I can't tell which is higher and which lower. I can tell that they're different, but not how they relate to each other.

So how common is that? Is there a correlation at all?

*Wonders if actually has dyspraxia as assessors have still not set a date*

Post by **Pooky** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 10:08 pm

I am tone deaf, mono, stereo all sounds the same to me.

Nicky · Post by **Nicky** » Mon Jul 09, 2007 11:50 pm

I'm not sure it's related, but you never know! I have perfect pitch, but am pretty art blind (I don't really appreciate art unless it looks like it could be a photograph)! I suppose people just have natural tendencies towards different skills.

The Lurker · Post by **The Lurker** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 5:33 pm

I don't have a problem with tone / pitch. I am a Fiddler

and have been for over 25 years. I do have a problem though trying to learn music off by heart

Lithium_joe · Post by **Lithium_joe** » Sat Jul 14, 2007 11:16 pm

I'm not tone deaf, but I'm forever being pulled up for speaking to quickly, mumbling or NOT JUDGING MY VOLUME...*ahem* correctly.

The Lurker · Post by **The Lurker** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 1:59 am

Lithium_joe wrote:I'm not tone deaf, but I'm forever being pulled up for speaking to quickly, mumbling or NOT JUDGING MY VOLUME...*ahem* correctly.

Are you my twin

Lithium_joe · Post by **Lithium_joe** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 10:34 am

Separated at birth possibly? Stranger things have happened.

square peg · Post by **square peg** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 11:01 am

Lithium_joe wrote:I'm forever being pulled up for speaking to quickly, mumbling or NOT JUDGING MY VOLUME...*ahem* correctly.

Me too. Well, people don't let me know that I mumble, but when I hear my voice back I can tell for myself that my pronunciation is rather haphazard for someone using their first language. As for speaking too quickly, I don't think anything can be done too quickly. If others can't catch our sentences it's because they're thinking too slowly.

Lithium_joe · Post by **Lithium_joe** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 12:44 pm

I sort of know what you mean but I do accept I speak very rapidly and can sometimes *think* I've pronounced something clearly when to most other ears I haven't. Conversely the volume thing is I'm talking to my mum or my dad and they'll say ;be quieter - you're shouting!' and I didn't realise that I've just raised my voice. oh and when I say shouting I don't mean I'm barking words like I'm angry but literally my volume has gone up. My finacee says I slip into a stage whisper that is I project my voice like I'm on stage without realising I'm doing it.

Post by **Pooky** » Sun Jul 15, 2007 4:58 pm

I can correlate with the pronounciation, volume thing as well.

I am always getting told I don't speak clearly when I sound fine too myself.

I also don't speak loud enough most of the time, and talk too fast especially when in stressful situations (i.e the telephone).

steph · Post by **steph** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 11:50 am

I talk too fast too, but I'm trying to get everything in before I forget what I was going to say, or drift to another subject. When I get excited about something my voice goes up in volume and pitch, but surely that's enthusiasm and shouldn't be wrong.

The other thing I hear is I apparently talk too much - that's because I hate long silent pauses in a conversation, they make me feel embarrased and uncomfortable. So I tend to fill them in with inane drivel

Sometimes I feel aggravated that there's no right answer, either "the face appears withdrawn, unemotional, inimaginative" or "talks too much, too loudly, fidgets"

As for tone deaf....

I too have perfect pitch, but my musical ability is mixed. I learned to play the piano and harp as a child, but I stuggle to read music. Once I have heard the piece though I can put the music away and I play perfectly from memory. That's fine up to grade 3, but then I got stuck and gave up.

Nicky · Post by **Nicky** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 12:00 pm

That's exactly the same as me Steph, my sight-reading is appauling, but after I've heard a piece I can play it no trouble (apart from really modern atonal stuff). Don't give up though, music is great and sightreading can improve a bit. Do you think the lack of sight-reading ability has anything to do with dyspraxia? I have also been diagnosed with dyslexia and always put it down to that, but it strikes me as odd, as I have no trouble reading words!

steph · Post by **steph** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 12:36 pm

I still have my harps, but I haven't played them in 2 years. I had an accident with a stanley knife while I was trying to trim the carpet and I cut through the nerves in my thumb. I still dont know how I did it as I was cutting away from my left hand, and I'd put a new blade on the knife too in order to be extra safe. Suddenly the knife seemed to shoot to the right, yet my left thumb, which shouldn't have been anywhere near got in the way

I'm getting a little bit of feeling back slowly, but I'm still a bit squeamish about it, especially as the scar is where the harp strings go and I'm going to have to build up my callouses again.

Nicky · Post by **Nicky** » Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:31 pm

Aw, sorry about your hand, that sounds soooooooooo horrible!

KxWaal · Post by **KxWaal** » Sat Jul 21, 2007 3:24 am

I have slowly developed a pretty good sense of pitch. I usually can't play something by ear immediately - I can't really tell which key it is in - although i can tell what the difference between two subsequent notes is in semi-tones (i think "melodic interval" is the actual term for this). From there I can usually figure out the key eventually.

I do find I have trouble with the actual tactile skill of playing many instruments - when it comes to timing, coordination etc.....
Luckily I make electronic music (goth-industrial, in particular), so it's all sequencers and drum machines - i can therefore compose music somewhat in the form of graphs etc., without necessarily needing the ability to hit all the notes at all the right times.