Darrell Clarke wrote:

> G'day all,  I read of a local fellow who has a mental condition
> but is able to identify correctly 10 different piano notes played
> simultaneously -- is this a rare feat?

Finally, something I know something about !

No, autistic people are really good at that.  Not only can they
recognize chords, but they can remember a whole song in sequence,
after only hearing it once.  Many of these people can also play the
most complicated piano pieces, upon hearing them.  They cannot read
one note of music.

Here's the reason I know about this subject: When I was a child, I had
great difficulty getting along with others.  My parents were concerned
and consulted a specialist.  They were told that I was autistic.

The specialist went on to say that, in my mind, I was unable to reach
a logical conclusion about anything unless I went through an exact
sequence of things first, so it was perfectly natural for me to be
interested in the piano for that reason: I used the piano to express
myself because I was unable to do so verbally.  Once I was aware of
my condition, I read all I could find on the subject, as a matter of
self-improvement.

The only thing I can tell you, Darrell, is that (in my case) I have
the musical scale memorized.  When I hear notes in any combination
I recognize them instantly, sort of like a well-educated person can
recognize the letters in the spoken word and write it down.  I can
"play back" a sequence in my mind much like a tape recorder, just by
recalling it.  This is exactly how I arrange piano rolls.

Learning to tune pianos was very difficult for me, because I can not
only hear the fundamental tone of a vibrating string, but many of it's
partials just as easily.  This varies widely from piano to piano, and
it was easy to become confused and make a mistake.  I had to retrain my
ears to concentrate on the fundamental and ignore the partials.

Many people think I am joking when I say this, but I can tell if a
piano has a well-designed scale, just by hearing it play.  It doesn't
have to be up to concert pitch, either.  Some piano scales give me the
sensation of fingernails scraping on a blackboard.  This often hurts
the host's feelings, because I am forced to leave the room.  They think
I am doing it out of arrogance, but It does little good to try to
explain something to them they cannot hear or comprehend.

People do not realize what they are actually saying when they tell me,
"Oh Andy, you have such a gift for music!"  I know they intend it to
be a glowing compliment, however, it reminds me of a reoccurring grim
truth, that all these "special gifts" they refer to are not without
a very expensive personal price -- the ability to make and retain
friends.

Here is the "down side".

Some highly judgmental people view an autistic person as a weirdo,
difficult, temperamental, or as a "friend?".  One once put it vividly
(referring to me), "touched in the head".

Autism, in the terse definition, simply means that the human brain
functions differently.  Everything which the person with this condition
endeavors to do has to be in an _exact sequence_.  Anything put out of
sequence, always results in frustration and confusion.  This includes
everyday things, that most people often take for granted to be able to
do.

This doesn't mean that autistic people can not live normal lives;
it simply means that they must mentally work harder, and constantly
discipline themselves to achieve the same things...

Most people do not understand how the autistic mind works, and most
likely will withdraw from that person's presence.  Sadly, people with
autism have to often cope with ostracism and defamation from intolerant
people.  It is just part and parcel of it as well, and a typical
reaction you; just learn to ignore it.

Feel free to comment.  This is not a touchy subject with me.  Since my
mind works this way, I thought I would offer you some insight on this
condition.

That's my view from my perspective.

Andy Taylor
Tempola Music Rolls