Copyright © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
Absolute pitch: Music and beyond
Received 26 May 2005;
Abstract
“Perfect pitch,” known in the scientific literature as “absolute pitch” (AP), is a rare phenomenon that has fascinated musicians and scientists alike for over a century. There has been a great deal of conflict in the literature between advocates of the two main theories on the etiology of AP: some believe that AP is learned early in life through intensive musical training, whereas others believe AP to be largely innate. Both theories are alike, however, in considering AP to be exclusively a musical phenomenon. We propose a paradigm shift by presenting here a new model of AP, one that is predicated on two principles: (1) that AP may be relatively independent of musical experience; and (2) that there are different types of AP, each of which can be ascribed to discrete neurobiological mechanisms. We also review data from a diverse series of experiments that were designed to test explicitly both the predictions of our model and a series of historical myths about AP. In each case, the data strongly support our model. We conclude with a general discussion on the nature of AP, the relevance of these findings for other areas of research, and future directions of study.
Keywords: Absolute pitch; Perfect pitch; Music; Preattentive processing
Article Outline
- 1. Introduction
- 2. Cultural and historical perspectives on absolute pitch
- 2.1. The etiology of absolute pitch
- 2.1.1. The early learning theory
- 2.1.2. The innate model
- 2.2. Weaknesses of historical models
- 2.3. Reconciling different models of AP
- 2.4. A new theory of absolute pitch perception
- 2.4.1. New terminology
- 3. Encoding and reproducing Huggins’ pitch stimuli
- 3.1. Summary of findings
- 3.2. Discussion
- 4. Distinguishing between properly and improperly tuned stimuli
- 4.1. Summary of findings
- 4.2. Discussion
- 5. Does AP confer superior auditory memory?
- 5.1. Memory for sequences of individual piano tones
- 5.2. Memory for sequences of complex piano chords
- 5.3. Discussion
- 6. Preattentive processing of pitch and timbre
- 6.1. Preattentive processing of pitch or timbre sequences
- 6.2. Preattentive processing of combined pitch/timbre sequences
- 6.3. Discussion
- 7. Discussion
- 7.1. Reevaluating our model: Are there two different types of “perfect pitch”?
- 7.1.1. (Re)defining APE
- 7.1.2. (Re)defining HTM
- 7.1.3. Two groups or three?
- 7.1.4. Qualitative observations on APE and HTM
- 7.2. On the mythology of “perfect pitch”
- 7.2.1. Myth 1: AP is a musical phenomenon
- 7.2.2. Myth 2: AP possessors identify stimulus frequency by using a place code on the basilar membrane
- 7.2.3. Myth 3: AP may predispose individuals to special musical skills
- 7.3. General implications
- Acknowledgements
- References






E-mail Article
Add to my Quick Links

Cited By in Scopus (1)

9 years of age did so. Self-reported AP possessors were four times more likely to report another AP possessor in their families than were non–AP possessors. These data suggest that both early musical training and genetic predisposition are needed for the development of AP. We developed a simple computer-based acoustical test that has allowed us to subdivide AP possessors into distinct groups, on the basis of their performance. Investigation of individuals who performed extremely well on this test has already led us to identify several families that will be suitable for studies of the genetic basis of AP.





