DLB
We observed DLB in the early 1970s when he gave a talk at what was then the Berklee School of Music. As far as we know, he never came back. We have followed his marketing over the years and once he threatened to sue us for our advertising, alleging that the generic term "perfect pitch" was his registered trademark. This mark isrecorded as "abandoned" by the US government. We evaluated and ignored all of this. While his marketing got increasingly slick, including lots of "stock" photography, his 'system' has not fundamentally changed. Lately, we were very surprised to see that an accomplished musician is marketing the "DLB Perfect Pitch Supercourse" (www.richardbosworth.org/); careful reading of the text includes the admission that this musician never used the course (He says, "I don't remember a time when I didn't have Perfect Pitch.") Since he uses DLB's advertising art on his own website, one wonders what his financial or other relationship with DLB is. In 16 years of teaching at the largest music school in the world, despite intense interest in the subject, I never met, and no one I asked ever met, a performer or composer who claimed success with this program or, for that matter, any other program. Why? In the USSCM program lectures, we go into great detail about changes in the brain as we mature, because it is fundamental to understanding the uniqueness of the USSCM methods as well as their compatibilities with traditional ear training methods. An essential element, however, is that AP training must get into the brain subliminally, before the student's brain has time to use other strategies; this is nearly impossible to do without computerized methods, such as the proprietary USSCM iPad software system. DLB has had many years to practice his own methods; it would be interesting to hear him perform. Let's keep our eyes and ears on YouTube!
Times have changed. If you do your homework, there is a fair amount of commentary and questioning about the DLB program and several others on the internet. We have watched some of the postings challenging DLB mysteriously removed. But below are some interesting links, active at this writing, with occasional comments.
Expensive one and two-page ads for "DLB Perfect Pitch Supercourse" appeared in multiple magazines for many, many years. If you bought it and you'd like to see where some of your money went, visit the 4 level multimillion dollar house at 4545 Ananalu Rd Hanalei, HI. Not too shabby!
http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4545-Ananalu-Road-Wainiha-Hanalei-HI-96714/2116734264_zpid/
Note that the tax record address above is 1200 E Burlington Ave, Fairfield, IA 52556-3001
http://www.bbb.org/iowa/business-reviews/music-publishers/perfectpitchcom-in-fairfield-ia-100196
http://whois.domaintools.com/perfectpitch.com
Actually, here is DLB on YouTube. No sign of a music room or piano, though: http://hawaii.info/index.htm
And here is another place your money went:
http://www.srisri.com/home.htm
http://www.srisri.com/bhajan-for-guru-purnima-2008.pdf finally, some music
The point of this sleuthing is not a mere exposé, but to show that someone who has a very limited relationship to the music industry has made a lot of money selling a 'perfect pitch method' without actually demonstrating tangible results in the form of music professionals who used and endorse his product. Does it work? Read the comments of others; you be the judge.
typical college courses:
Regarding College Eartraining Programs, they generally teach Relative Pitch, while we have heard a rumor to the contrary, we are unaware of any other college program which successfully teaches Perfect Pitch. Please correct our impression if you know of any such curriculum! One place to look would be to find those courses which use "Fixed DO Solfege." See this. But don't get lost in the research and forget your goals!
USSCM:
While you are considering the USSCM Perfect Pitch Bootcamp™, we recommend that you become familiar with the advertising claims and descriptions of other programs, some of which are humorous. While some do have limited merit, most are musically impractical, which, after all, is the real test. As part of the Perfect Pitch Bootcamp training, we present the available scholarly research, as simply and clearly as possible, and what its implications are for intrepid musicians who wish to really acquire a great PRACTICAL ear after childhood.