A fascinating description. I'm particularly intrigued by the combinations you mention-- now that I'm dealing with 11 categories, they're joined for me in the same way as they are for you. Ab and A, C# and D, Eb and E. (I suspect that the reason F# and G are not joined is because they're at opposite ends of the height spectrum right now.) When I make a snap judgment, without careful consideration and comparison, I'm as likely to misjudge one for the other.
I wonder how your suggestion that we remember the obvious similarity but forget the subtle difference would fit in with the unavoidable magic number seven. I knew, even before I designed APP, that it is not feasible to expect that we could actually learn 12 pitches, any more than we are capable of learning more than seven colors. Being able to identify more than seven of anything is a multi-step process of broad to narrow categorization. With twelve pitches in a single octave, it's a two-step process:
- decision one: semitone combination or renegade?
..if it's a combination, then
- decision two: which of the two?
Right now I'm pretty good at nailing the lower six categories-- blue, grue, grey, brown, red, and rellow (which is G through C#)-- which takes up six of my seven. Unsurprisingly, therefore, when it comes to everything above C#, I readily and easily lapse into a height strategy, which is of course a failing strategy.
It appears as though my decision process, when I'm not being careful, is this:
- decision one: renegade or above-rellow?
...and if it's above rellow, then
- decision two: where does this go into the upper range?
When I am being careful, it's
- decision one: do I know this tone?
- decision two: could I be mistaking it for another tone?
At that point, what you're describing about the obvious/subtle qualities kicks in. With decision one, I can usually make a clear judgment of any of the lower six categories, or at least recognize whether a tone belongs to C#/D, Eb/E, or F#/F. Then, once I find another one to compare, I can make a confident decision. Curiously, I can also often make a confident decision by finding another
identical tone; the second one seems to confirm the first somehow.
And, when I'm using this strategy, I am still using seven divisions-- I become more aware of having to make a two-step decision for Ab/A, making the divisions 1. blue, 2. grue/gray, 3. brown, 4. red, 5. rellow/yellow, 6. grellow/green, and 7. orange/blorange.
It's difficult to prevent myself from using the former strategy (lower categories, higher range) in the Large games, though, when there are this many categories. Because of the randomly-weighted way in which the game chooses pitches, there are far fewer border tones than in the Jumbo games. This means that, for the six lower categories, I can usually make accurate snap judgments.. but then, when I allow this, it leaves only the one mental division for the entire upper range.
Still, I'm pleased that I cannot win the game if I persist in this strategy, so gradually I'll persuade my mind to use the second strategy and eventually succeed. It's still way too early to tell if this game is "working" to deliver absolute pitch ability, but I do appear to still be learning and progressing, so I'm keeping at it. (Once I get through Level 11 I will have to do another major change to allow new octaves.)