Perfect pitch reconsidered

Abstract

A Perfect pitch reconsideredPerfect pitch, or absolute pitch (AP), is defi ned as the ability to identify or produce the pitch of a sound without need for a reference pitch, and is generally regarded as a valuable asset to the musician. However, there has been no recent review of the literature examining its aetiology and its utility taking into account emerging scientifi c advances in AP research, notably in functional imaging. This review analyses the key empirical research on AP, focusing on genetic and neuroimaging studies. The review concludes that: AP probably has a genetic predisposition, although this is based on limited evidence; early musical training is almost certainly essential for AP acquisition; and, although there is evidence that it may be relevant to speech processing, AP can interfere with relative pitch, an ability on which humans rely to communicate effectively. The review calls into question the value of AP to musicians and nonmusicians alike.

Absolute pitch: A literature review of underlying factors, with special regard to music pedagogy.

“…Among trained, professional musicians, the prevalence of AP is thought to vary between 3.4% and 20% (Baharloo et al, 1998; Miyazaki, 2007; Vitouch, 2003), however, prevalence could reach 50% among music students and professional musicians of Asian origin (Deutsch, Henthorn, & Dolson, 2004; Deutsch et al, 2006; Gregersen et al, 1999; Miyazaki et al, 2012). The interaction of several factors may explain this increased prevalence—native speaking of tonal languages, early childhood music education, and pedagogical methods that support the acquisition and development of AP (Deutsch, Henthorn, & Dolson, 2004; Deutsch et al, 2006; Henthorn & Deutsch, 2007; Iuşcă, 2017; Lee & Lee, 2010; Moulton, 2014).…”

“…Since the association between notes and syllables depends on the key signature, if the key signature changes, it requires "reshifting" of the association (Hung, 2012). In other words, because the association between notes and syllables depends on "scalar function" of the notes within a key, a given syllable can be associated with notes of different pitches (Moulton, 2014).…”

Az abszolút hallás: áldás vagy átok?

“…További vizsgálatok igazolták, hogy a tonális nyelveket (pl. mandarin, kantoni, vietnámi, thai) beszélők körében az AH előfordulási aránya magasabb, mint a nem tonális nyelveket beszélők között (Deutsch és mtsai, 2004;Deutsch és mtsai, 2006;Lee és Lee, 2010), noha ezek a vizsgálatok nem vették figyelembe a zenei képzés során alkalmazott zenepedagógiai módszereket (Moulton, 2014). A tonális nyelvekben a szó jelentése a kiejtés hangmagasságának függvényében változik, ezért a tonális nyelveket beszélőknél a beszédtanulás során kiemelt jelentőséggel bír a hangmagasság-változás azonosításának képessége.…”

Revisitando las variables que condicionan la neuroplasticidad asociada a la interpretación musical

“…No obstante, en la actualidad la evidencia parece indicar que su incidencia es mayor, sobre todo en músicos. Además, aunque es probable que exista una predisposición biológica, todo apunta a que el entrenamiento y exposición musical temprana son factores significativos en su aparición (Moulton, 2014): "en torno al 40% de los individuos que inician su formación musical antes de los cuatro años, lo desarrollan" (Bermudez, 2008, p. 1). Sin embargo, algunos autores han propuesto que, la estabilidad en el oído absoluto se obtiene, más que por la experiencia temprana, por las normas culturales musicales en las que nos vemos envueltos (Hedger et al, 2013) y que puede ser entrenadas en población adulta (Hedger et al, 2015).…”