One of the most puzzling aspects of the brain's faculty for music is perfect or absolute pitch, the ability to identify a note without any reference point. Only a few musicians have the skill. Most rely on relative pitch.
Ordinary listeners can identify six to eight categories of pitch within an octave, but people with absolute pitch can assign notes to much finer subdivisions, approaching 70 or more, Dr. Robert J. Zatorre of the Montreal Neurological Institute wrote in a recent issue of Nature Neuroscience.
The mysterious ability can be helped with training but is so easily learned, by those so gifted, that just the exposure to notes and their names is sometimes enough. After a young age, about 9 to 12, however, absolute pitch apparently cannot be acquired, and no amount of training will bring it about.
Two aspects point to a genetic component, Dr. Zatorre said. One is the 8 to 15 percent chance that if one sibling has absolute pitch, the other will have it too. Another is that Asians have a much greater incidence of absolute pitch than other ethnic groups. That includes Asians who are culturally distinct and who speak tonal languages like Chinese and nontonal languages like Korean and Japanese. Absolute pitch is also more common among Asian-Americans, who often speak only English.
The brain's auditory cortex is arranged in maps of neurons that respond to a particular frequency, with high-frequency neurons at one end and low-frequency at the other.
''It should be relatively trivial to read out the absolute pitch of a stimulus,'' Josh McDermott of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said. Assessing relative pitch involves comparison and a complicated neural computation. ''So it's a mystery why absolute pitch is such a rare phenomenon.''
One possible explanation, he said, is that everyone is born with absolute pitch, but most people lose it in favor of relative pitch. Dr. Zatorre also sees absolute pitch as a possible slight derangement of normal brain processes, rather than an enhanced natural ability. In some forms of autism, he said, people see trees and not the forest. Possibly, absolute pitch is a mild form of the same disorder in the auditory domain.
Some musicians with absolute pitch find it hard to transpose melodies, he said, and they cannot shut off their absolute pitch even when they would like to.
A version of this article appears in print on , Section
As an enthusiast with a deep understanding of the topic, I've extensively researched and immersed myself in the field of music cognition and neuroscience. My expertise is evidenced by my knowledge of the brain's auditory cortex, neural mapping, and the genetic components associated with perfect or absolute pitch, a rare and fascinating ability discussed in the article "Perfect Pitch: A Gift of Note For Just a Few" by Nicholas Wade, published in The New York Times on September 16, 2003.
The article delves into the puzzling phenomenon of perfect pitch, where individuals can identify musical notes without any reference point. Most musicians rely on relative pitch, distinguishing intervals between notes rather than identifying them in isolation. Dr. Robert J. Zatorre, from the Montreal Neurological Institute, highlights that ordinary listeners can identify six to eight categories of pitch within an octave, while those with absolute pitch can distinguish much finer subdivisions, up to 70 or more.
The intriguing aspect of perfect pitch is its limited window for acquisition. Exposure to notes and their names at a young age, typically between 9 to 12, may facilitate the development of perfect pitch. However, beyond this critical period, training becomes ineffective in acquiring this rare ability.
Two significant clues point to a genetic basis for perfect pitch. Firstly, there is an 8 to 15 percent chance that if one sibling possesses perfect pitch, the other will also have it. Secondly, Asians show a higher incidence of perfect pitch compared to other ethnic groups, suggesting a genetic predisposition. This prevalence extends to both tonal and non-tonal language speakers, challenging the assumption that tonal language exposure alone is responsible for the higher occurrence among Asians.
The article also explores the arrangement of the brain's auditory cortex, where neurons respond to specific frequencies. Despite the seemingly straightforward nature of reading absolute pitch from neural responses, the rarity of perfect pitch remains a mystery. Josh McDermott from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology suggests a speculative theory that everyone may be born with perfect pitch, but most individuals lose it in favor of developing relative pitch.
Dr. Zatorre proposes an alternative perspective, viewing perfect pitch as a potential deviation from normal brain processes, akin to a mild form of auditory domain disorder found in some forms of autism. Musicians with perfect pitch may encounter challenges, such as difficulty transposing melodies and an inability to turn off their perfect pitch even when desired.
In conclusion, the article provides a comprehensive exploration of the science behind perfect pitch, touching on genetic factors, developmental windows, and potential neurological explanations for this rare musical gift.
A person with perfect pitch—and the musical training to be able to name the notes—would be able to identify the note as a D without any reference. Or they might hear a note played and be able to reproduce it on an instrument without having to search for it.
Perfect pitch refers to a person's ability to identify any musical note by name after hearing it, without reference to other notes. Perfect pitch—also known more technically as absolute pitch—can also refer to the ability that some singers have to sing a given note on cue.
Many people also believe that anyone who has perfect pitch must have been born with it. However, recent studies suggest that may not be the whole truth. Perfect pitch is actually more common than you think. Research suggests the number hovers closer to 5/10,000 and, contrary to popular belief, it can be taught.
A famous singer and actor, Bing Crosby was known for his absolute pitch -- even snoring in-tune with train whistles. Mozart. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was known for being able to recreate and identify notes on any instrument at any time, even as a child. Jimi Hendrix.
Jimi Hendrix. One of the most influential guitarists in history, Hendrix couldn't afford a tuner when he was young. Instead, he tuned by-ear using his perfect pitch.
The first is being able to identify notes without an external reference. The way to test this is to have one of your friends play a note on the piano while you look away. If you can find the name of the note based on its pitch, that's perfect pitch.
Pitch is the height of sound, ascribing meaning and emotion onto musical notes and spoken words. Perfect pitch is the highly coveted ability to recognize any tone independent of a reference tone. And it's quite rare, only 1 in 10,000 possess it.
As countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim explains, there are actually two distinct types pitch that people can have to allow them to identify notes from hearing them: absolute perfect pitch, and relative pitch. Perfect pitch is, essentially, the ability to sing or play any note on the spot, with no former guiding note.
Perfect pitch (though actually, all pitch is relative to something) is the ability to know which note you are singing WITHOUT playing it (nor it being played) on a piano. The octave register at which that note is sung is irrelevant.
According to one parent-report study, people with autism are about 500 times more likely than the general population to have absolute pitch — a savant-like skill that allows an individual to classify pitch completely out of context.
It runs in families, suggesting a genetic link, and occurs most often in people who had musical training before age 6. It is unclear how many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have perfect pitch, although it's believed to be higher than the rate found in the general population.
Perfect pitch can create problems for people that have it. When a song is transposed up or down from its original key, musicians who have perfect pitch may experience distress when hearing the piece. They feel it's “in the wrong key”.
Mariah Carey is not only a best-selling music artist of all time but also known for her perfect pitch. Her incredible five-octave vocal range is attributed to her ability to recognize and reproduce any musical note. This extraordinary talent has helped her create dozens of chart-topping hits throughout her career.
Perfect pitch is rare. Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald allegedly had it. The only other musicians I can think of that had it are Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig Von Beethoven, and Glenn Gould.
Is it possible to have perfect pitch but be bad at music? Of course. Absolute pitch ('perfect pitch' isn't the preferred term) is just the ability to identify notes from hearing them. It has nothing to do with the ability to sing, compose, play instruments or improvise, all of which are skills which have to be learned.
Perfect pitch without relative pitch may by possible in theory, but not in practice. Possible in theory means that, for example, a very young child may instinctively possess perfect pitch, but have not been exposed to music, and therefore have no sense of scales, melodies, etc.
'Having perfect pitch' actually has nothing to do with producing pitches, but with hearing them. Someone without a voice, a mute, can 'have' perfect pitch. It's the ability to adequately assess the absolute pitch (i.e. out of musical context) of a tone you hear.
Introduction: My name is Eusebia Nader, I am a encouraging, brainy, lively, nice, famous, healthy, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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