Rumor has it that my friend Terry can recognize any song after only listening to a few notes (I do not have this ability although I did recognize the
Cheers theme song from one note) and he proved it Thursday night: we were having cheap beers at the local Hooters (I always wanted to write that phrase) and Stacy remarked how much she loved the new Cee Lo Green song "Fuck You" and Terry said that he had never heard it, so I sang a couple of verses (and my voice was even
worse than usual, as it had been a very long day: I performed several songs in class, coached a soccer game, and then spoke to all the parents at "Back to School Night," so I was beyond gravelly) and Terry said, "That sounds like Gnarls Barkley," and for a moment my head swelled (after we explained to Terry that Cee Lo Green sang on the Gnarls Barkley hit "Crazy") and I thought that I was a very talented singer, but then Stacy pointed out that I had done a terrible job singing the song and that
Terry was the one with the special talent.
Special like the olympics. Terry is Rainman.
ReplyDeleteHe might either have perfect pitch or a highly developed sense of acoustic awareness. I think it's more of a skill that can be developed, people train in music schools for that kind of thing.
ReplyDeleteBut check this out for an interesting read on the subject: http://homepage.mac.com/kendallwrightson/ae/aecology.html
this is terry we're talking about. his idea of "perfect pitch" is a low slider.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, regarding the Rainman observation: I haven't seen the research, but I've heard a theory that Mozart's impressive musical memory, along with his many social awkwardnesses, have led some to believe they were symptoms of undiagnosed autism. I don't know your friend Terry, but I'd put him in front of a piano and see what he could do.
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