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Old 10-29-2012, 09:08 PM   #11
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

Incidentally, tone deafness and absolute pitch would probably be relevant to the mimicry skill, particularly if trying to deceive someone with absolute pitch.
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Old 10-30-2012, 03:48 AM   #12
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

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Tone-Deafness could be a quirk that gives -4 to Musical Instrument (all except percussion) and Singing. It's similar to Incompetence, just (1) it's a little broader but (2) allows the person to still buy the skills.

Absolute Pitch is best represented with Musical Ability 1.
Thanks, that's very useful. I'll probably offer my player the option of two levels of Absolute / Perfect Pitch - the first being Kromm's perk version and the second your Musical Ability 1 version (ignored for the purposes of my normal Talent level limits for someone that wants to stack on more Musical Talent).
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Old 10-30-2012, 03:57 AM   #13
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

Quote:
Originally Posted by PK View Post
Tone-Deafness could be a quirk that gives -4 to Musical Instrument (all except percussion) and Singing. It's similar to Incompetence, just (1) it's a little broader but (2) allows the person to still buy the skills.

Absolute Pitch is best represented with Musical Ability 1.
I talked to my SO this morning, who is a drummer, among other things. Thus:

Should affect drums/percussion too. Not only many of those instruments tuned too, and produce different frequencies/notes/etc. (sometimes very non-obviously so), but a drummer has to have an idea what exactly is happening in the other sections of the band.

------------

Back to my personal opinion: I don't see much need for Incompetences to prohibit buying skills, even though this is RAW. The penalty is so harsh that it makes more sense to buy off the incompetence than to buy skills - if the player wants skills, there is definitely no munchkinry involved.
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Old 10-30-2012, 05:23 AM   #14
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

Don't forget that most of the people with absolute pitch have Susceptible (Dysharmonic sounds) at least on quirk level.
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Old 10-30-2012, 10:14 AM   #15
Anthony
 
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

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Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
I talked to my SO this morning, who is a drummer, among other things. Thus:

Should affect drums/percussion too. Not only many of those instruments tuned too, and produce different frequencies/notes/etc. (sometimes very non-obviously so), but a drummer has to have an idea what exactly is happening in the other sections of the band.
That's usually covered by perfect relative pitch; it doesn't matter if your instrument is perfectly tuned to some absolute standard, just whether it matches what everyone else is tuned to (relative pitch is covered by musical skill and lack of tone deafness, it's trainable and it's nearly impossible to do music without it).
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Old 10-30-2012, 01:08 PM   #16
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

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That's usually covered by perfect relative pitch; it doesn't matter if your instrument is perfectly tuned to some absolute standard, just whether it matches what everyone else is tuned to (relative pitch is covered by musical skill and lack of tone deafness, it's trainable and it's nearly impossible to do music without it).
The non-applicability to drums was in relation to tone deafness, which probably precludes having ability to perceive relative pitch.
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Old 10-30-2012, 04:27 PM   #17
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

I new someone who was "tone deaf" but was a perfectly good solo pianist...because the piano is tuned by someone else and she could read music and translate that music to the keys on the keyboard.

On the other hand, I knew someone who had "perfect" absolute pitch, which, like everyone I've known who has claimed to have it, was "tuned" to A440. So the minute she had to play in an early music ensemble (which tends to have A415 or thereabouts...and often aren't using equal temperament), she was completely incapable of playing at all (violinist).

So I've seen people able to play fixed pitch instruments well as a tone deaf person and people with absolute pitch completely come apart the second anything other than modern western equal temperament tunings, also usually tonal rather than microtonal, come into play.
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Old 10-30-2012, 04:36 PM   #18
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

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I new someone who was "tone deaf" but was a perfectly good solo pianist...because the piano is tuned by someone else and she could read music and translate that music to the keys on the keyboard.
Presumably, the same would be true of a synthesizer. Problem comes with instruments that might actually require correcting by ear, such as singing and fretless stringed instruments.
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On the other hand, I knew someone who had "perfect" absolute pitch, which, like everyone I've known who has claimed to have it, was "tuned" to A440.
There's certainly a learned element to perfect pitch; given a different background, she'd be fine with tones from that background and couldn't handle a modern scale.
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Old 10-30-2012, 04:53 PM   #19
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Default Re: Modelling Tone Deafness & Absolute Pitch?

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Presumably, the same would be true of a synthesizer. Problem comes with instruments that might actually require correcting by ear, such as singing and fretless stringed instruments.
Indeed, my point being the being tone deaf would mean necessarily mean an incompetency in a all musical skills. Fixed pitch instruments could be just fine. Also, composing in styles that focus on the mathematics of music would also not be adversely effected.

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There's certainly a learned element to perfect pitch; given a different background, she'd be fine with tones from that background and couldn't handle a modern scale.
My point here is that perfect absolute pitch--if you are like most of the classical music perfect absolute pitch people I know, and I've known a lot of them--helps them play classical/romantic music, but hinders them greatly when doing other types of music, including European art music of earlier time periods.

So, I'd be hesitant to equate "Tone Deaf" with a universal penalty to musical skills and "Perfect Pitch" with a universal bonus to musical skills.
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