Explainer Series
Learn more about breakthroughs pioneered at the University of Chicago
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 technicallyas absolute pitch—can also refer to the ability that some singers have to sing a given note on cue.
Though perfect pitch was thought to be a rare ability that depended primarily on early musical training in a “critical period” of sensitivity in childhood, auditory learning studies at the University of Chicago and elsewhere have shown that some individuals can learn to identify musical notes by ear even later in life.
Jump to a section:
- What is perfect pitch?
- What is the difference between perfect pitch, absolute pitch and relative pitch?
- Can you learn perfect pitch?
- How rare is perfect pitch, and is it genetic?
- What have studies of perfect pitch taught us about auditory learning?
What is perfect pitch?
What is the difference between perfect pitch, absolute pitch and relative pitch?
Can you learn perfect pitch?
People can, indeed, learn to identify musical notes by ear, but there are some caveats.
However, a 2013 study argued that a drug called valproate could ‘re-open’ this critical period, allowing some adults to learn to identify notes by ear with training. Later research conducted at the University of Chicago by Prof. Howard Nusbaum, Shannon Heald, Stephen Van Hedger, and Rachelle Koch showed that drugs may not be necessary: With only brief training, some adults learned to remember notes, and could correctly identify them even months later with higher accuracy than they had been able to beforehand.
While only a few individuals may become as accurate as individuals who have had absolute pitch their entire lives, according to Nusbaum, ‘perfect pitch’ may be more malleable than previously thought. Having perfect pitch is likely related to a person’s auditory working memory—in other words, their ability to remember and assign meaning to sounds such as musical notes.
Other research by Van Hedger, Heald and Nusbaum demonstrated that even those with absolute pitch can be re-tuned, or ‘tricked’ into thinking that music is in tune when it is in fact out of tune, if they first listen to a piece of music that is gradually detuned by a third of a note over the course of several minutes.
A person’s first language and previous experience with music and sound may also influence their ability to identify musical notes and their likelihood of having perfect pitch. For example, some evidence suggests that speakers of tonal languages—such as Mandarin—in which the same word can have different meanings depending on the tone in which it is spoken (where tone refers to sound frequency or pitch, rather than emotional quality), may be more likely to develop the ability. Those who learned to play instruments from an early age may also be more likely to have perfect pitch.
The best predictor of perfect pitch, according to recent research from Nusbaum’s lab led by doctoral student Katherine Reis, is a brain response measure called the “frequency following response,” which provides a snapshot of the overall integrity of a person’s ability to process and classify sounds.
The caveat, however, is that the frequency following response itself is not immutable. Though it might seem “fixed,” individuals can improve this response with practice, and both individuals with and without perfect pitch are better at naming notes produced on a piano, as opposed to computer-generated sounds, suggesting that familiarity with the timbres of musical instruments is important.
How rare is perfect pitch, and is it genetic?
A commonly cited number is that approximately one in 10,000, or .01% of people, are thought to have perfect pitch. However, perfect pitch may actually be considerably more common: One recent review suggested that 4% of music students have the ability, and people with perfect pitch can be found in the general population, if you know how to look for them, according to Nusbaum, a leading expert on the science of auditory learning.
Research at the University of Chicago has also suggested that perfect pitch may not be an inherent, immutable skill, because some people can learn to identify notes with training, while those who have perfect pitch can be “tricked” with re-tuning. Still, there is variability in people’s ability to identify notes by ear, both with and without training, that could be due to environmental, genetic or neurological differences, such as auditory working memory and the frequency following response.
Nusbaum believes that whether a person has or can acquire perfect pitch may be a combination of their musical training and their general capacity for auditory working memory and perceptual attention. For example, while some people who were experimentally trained to memorize notes over an eight-week period ultimately achieved the same level of accuracy as those who naturally had perfect pitch, others did not.
What have studies of perfect pitch taught us about auditory learning?
Scientists studying perfect pitch at the University of Chicago have contextualized their research within psychology as part of a growing body of evidence that challenges the notion that people’s abilities are innate, genetic endowments: Instead, they argue, these abilities are more flexible. In the case of auditory learning—languages, music and other sounds—this means that people may be more able to develop their abilities later in life than previously thought.
According to Nusbaum, who has studied auditory learning for years: “The way you start learning something changes the way you pay attention to it.” If people are forced to learn a new language through immersion, for example—because they are isolated from fellow expatriates, or because their livelihoods depend on it—they are more likely to become fluent much more quickly than those who are not required to pay attention in the same way, who can get by without doing so.
Nusbaum describes this tradeoff as arguing against the “critical period” theory, which proposes that humans have limited developmental opportunities to acquire new skills, and supporting the “critical mass” theory, which proposes that the amount of learning that takes place over time can affect the level and type of attention that a person has paid to a particular area of knowledge. Thus, practice and immersion play an important role in skill development: Practice, in a sense, really does make “perfect.”
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Absolute pitch , Perfect Pitch , Howard Nusbaum , Explainers
I'm well-acquainted with perfect pitch, absolute pitch, auditory learning, and the associated studies conducted at the University of Chicago. The University of Chicago's research in auditory learning, led by experts like Professor Howard Nusbaum, Shannon Heald, Stephen Van Hedger, and Rachelle Koch, has redefined our understanding of perfect pitch and its acquisition, challenging previous notions of its rarity and fixed nature.
Perfect pitch, often interchangeably used with absolute pitch, denotes the ability to identify a musical note by name upon hearing it without any reference point. This skill isn't solely confined to early musical training; the studies have indicated that individuals can learn to identify musical notes even later in life.
Relative pitch, on the other hand, involves identifying notes in relation to one another, often using solfège or note intervals. It's more prevalent among musicians compared to perfect pitch.
The idea that perfect pitch is an innate, immutable skill has been challenged by research. Studies, including one involving the drug valproate, suggest that adults can learn to identify musical notes by ear with training. Additionally, the influence of a person's first language, musical experience, and auditory working memory play pivotal roles in their ability to develop perfect pitch.
Regarding its rarity, earlier estimations suggested a prevalence of around one in 10,000 individuals possessing perfect pitch. However, recent research argues it might be more common, with about 4% of music students demonstrating this ability.
This understanding has broader implications for auditory learning, challenging the notion of fixed abilities and supporting the idea that immersion and practice significantly impact skill development. It counters the "critical period" theory, suggesting that ongoing learning and practice can alter attention and proficiency in various domains, including language acquisition and musical skills.
The research conducted at the University of Chicago has significantly contributed to reshaping our understanding of perfect pitch, absolute pitch, and auditory learning, underscoring the malleability of these abilities and the role of ongoing practice in their development.