I’m listening to a song online, and I want to know what key it’s in, but I don’t have a piano nearby. I’m sight-singing a chart, and just need a starting pitch. I’m doing a mental take-down of a song on my way to a rehearsal, and don’t know the key of the song.
Sometimes, you just need a simple pitch, without wanting to run to the piano, or fire up GarageBand, or hunt around your iTunes library until you find a song that you know the key of, and then figure out the interval between that and the new key you want.
You just need a simple pitch.
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you:
It does exactly one thing. You click on a note, it gives you a pitch. It’ll work on your browser, on your phone, on your iPhone, on anything that can recognize html and playback mp3s. It’ll get a bit more elegant as time goes on, but for now, use it, enjoy it, share it with those you love.
Portcullischain 11:13 am on 21 March 2008 Permalink
Do
Do…..Mi….So
Stick 11:15 am on 21 March 2008 Permalink
The Tubes rules.
I need this.
Or I need someone to bestow upon me perfect pitch.
michael lee 11:25 am on 21 March 2008 Permalink
Yeah, this is completely a case of my scratching my own itch. I’ve needed it forever, so I finally built it. One of my students is building multiple sets of audio files for me right now, so in the next few days, it’ll be broken down into just the pitch, the major chord, and the minor chord.
Stick 2:01 pm on 21 March 2008 Permalink
Oh, I thought you found it somewhere… mad props to the prof.
michael lee 2:17 pm on 21 March 2008 Permalink
nah, check the signature at the bottom of the page. all me, baby.
Chad 2:54 pm on 21 March 2008 Permalink
That rules!
JC 8:20 am on 22 March 2008 Permalink
Michael: Very cool!
michael lee 9:43 am on 22 March 2008 Permalink
OK, updated with a mobile version. You can now go to m.simplepitches.com, or to simplepitches.com/m and see the stripped down version.
Bobby 7:25 am on 26 March 2008 Permalink
very cool Mike… Have you thought about using a Flash player instead of relying on the browser? I don’t know how well mobile pages would handle flash though. There’s an XSPF button player that should be able to plug in pretty easily to your setup.
michael lee 8:56 am on 26 March 2008 Permalink
I looked at that, but I really wanted mobile compatibility, and the iPhone is no go with flash, as are several others.
There’s a dhtml solutions that loads an empty span with the audio as a background sound. I might check that out, but honestly, I think I’m done with the thing. It does exactly what I wanted it to do, and I see no motivation to pimp it out any further.
Cerise 12:32 pm on 26 March 2008 Permalink
This is so cool, dude. I’ve needed just this so many times – when we need a pitch (meaning: when I’m singing along to Kate Bush and wondering what that note was and if my sweet spot has moved) I’ve had to plug the midi in, reboot and open Reason. Or GarageBand. Pain in the bum, and probably why I couldn’t tell you my sweet spot if you put a gun to my head.
You’ve made it all go away.
michael lee 12:36 pm on 26 March 2008 Permalink
I live to serve.
sharolyn 10:58 pm on 26 March 2008 Permalink
What he didn’t tell you is that it’s 1/2 step flat.
michael lee 11:06 pm on 26 March 2008 Permalink
sssh! You’ll blow the whole thing!
Sharolyn 2:43 pm on 27 March 2008 Permalink
Rather than a pitch pipe, barbershop quartets will now have a member pull from his pocket an iPhone.
Cerise 8:42 am on 28 March 2008 Permalink
Unless they have one of those tiresome people with perfect pitch to hum for them.
michael lee 10:57 am on 4 October 2008 Permalink
Sharolyn, according to the director of the Men’s ensemble, that’s exactly what happened on their last tour. Every time the did an acapella piece, half the guys in the choir pulled out their iPhones and went to this site.
Sharolyn 11:51 am on 4 October 2008 Permalink
That’s awesome. I was between Simple Pitches and the Production Techniques Podcast song. You know, as opposed to playing for Melissa Etheridge or something. :)