Is Roger Waters partially tone deaf?

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Keith Jordan
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Is Roger Waters partially tone deaf?

Post by Keith Jordan »

I was just reading here > http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0914166/bio and it says (3 paragraphs above the personal quotes) that Roger Waters is partially tone deaf!

Is there any truth to this?
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Post by mhspiper »

I have read it in quite a few different places, but I haven't seen anything "official" mention it. It could be true, though.
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The Ballad Of Pink Floyd
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Post by The Ballad Of Pink Floyd »

such a pity if he woulde be, but then again so many years in concerting can make one partialy tone deaf
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Post by PublicImage »

I doubt it, personally. How could somebody who is partially tonedeaf sing stuff like Sheep in key, or compose an opera?
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Post by snifferdog »

Having heard his singing, I can concur with this claim :lol:

According to the Wikipedia: A person who is tone deaf lacks relative pitch, the ability to discriminate between musical notes. Being tone deaf is having difficulty or being unable to correctly hear relative differences between notes; however, in common usage, it refers to a person's inability to reproduce them accurately. The latter inability is most often caused by lack of musical training or education and not actual tone deafness.

I know David and Rick have taken pot shots at Roger's musical limitations. I'm thinking especially of Rick having to retune Roger's bass at shows in the days before they invented fancier tuners.
Last edited by snifferdog on Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by mosespa »

Waters has admitted in the past that he "finds it hard to pitch" (find the correct note to sing.)

This, in itself, is an admission of a minor degree of "tone deaf."

Being tone deaf means that one cannot determine one pitch from another. In the truest sense of the word, I don't think it applies to Roger...however, "tone deaf" is often used to apply to a person who CAN differentiate between tones, but is simply unable to produce the correct tone at the correct time.

In the case of Waters, it is something that CAN be corrected with practice...and apparently has been.
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Post by The Gunner's Dream »

I always thought that the reason he used those big headphones was so he could hear himself better and had more control of his voice.
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Post by Keith Jordan »

And now we know the real reason for those great headphones! Nothing to do with staying in time with their click track... but... HE IS TONE DEAF!!!!

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Post by Machina »

You can be deaf to certain octaves and tones.My hearing is perfect apart from some midrange frequencies.This is due to wearing headphones while I listen to backing tracks when I practice on the drums.I found this out during a hearing test at work.So it would effect you getting the right pitch of certain songs..Bass amps screw up your hearing over the years more than a regular Guitar amp because it screws up the tiny fibers that capture sound waves in your ear with low frequency waves.
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Post by The Gunner's Dream »

Machina wrote:Bass amps screw up your hearing over the years more than a regular Guitar amp because it screws up the tiny fibers that capture sound waves in your ear with low frequency waves.
It's the same with a regular guitar amp, except then it's with high frequency waves. In that case you can develop tinitus, a very painful condition in which you can not distinguish high notes. Pete Townshend, among many rockers who never wore ear protection, suffers from this.
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Post by cRaB »

Behetoven was - at certain point - completely deaf, and he continued to compose.
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Post by Vlad The Impaler »

Recall the film footage you've seen of Roger singing with one finger in his ear and his eyes closed...it's a trick people with tone problems use to try to get closer in tune.

And yes Dave has commented that he had tone but a limited range whereas Roger had greater range but problems with tone.

.
Last edited by Vlad The Impaler on Mon Jan 08, 2007 4:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by apocalypse »

PublicImage wrote:I doubt it, personally. How could somebody who is partially tonedeaf sing stuff like Sheep in key, or compose an opera?
Beethoven was totally deaf when he wrote his 9th symphony
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Post by Craig Marion »

The idea that musicians wear headphones or in-ear monitors because they are tone deaf is absurd. In-ears or personal monitor systems have been used for years by many...many musicians for many reasons. Almost everyone in my band uses them. The advantages to using them are many. For myself if I want to hear more drums or more guitars I can do so with the turn of the knob. Another big reason is feedback is non-existent when you don't have a wedge monitor in front of you. The pros out weigh the cons in wearing cans or in-ears.
Last edited by Craig Marion on Mon Jan 08, 2007 8:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by PublicImage »

apocalypse wrote:Beethoven was totally deaf when he wrote his 9th symphony
Yes, that explains why it's so crap!

I think Beethoven had somewhat of an advatage over Roger Waters, considering the fact that he surely knew faar more about music theory than Roger Waters ever did/will.