PERFECT PITCH LINKS
The Ultimate Web Resource for Information on Perfect Pitch
Articles
Perefct Pitch and the Content of Experience. By Fiona Macpherson.
In this paper I will examine a feature of auditory experiences, namely, the representation of pitch and will argue that certain important distinctions need to be recognised to best extend the representationalist view to cover auditory experiences. These distinctions may then yield insights into the nature of content in other sense modalities.
Name that Tone. By Andy Evangelista.
UCSF geneticists Jane Gitschier and Nelson Freimer hypothesize that having perfect pitch may be a matter of both genetics and environment.
The ability to identify a note on the musical scale without a single reference point - known as absolute or perfect pitch - is a rarity even among musicians, but new studies with infants suggest that everyone may begin life with this remarkable talent.
Scientists have gained a new clue as to why some people can instantly identify a musical note: When listening to tones, one brain region is more active in these people than in others not so attuned to music, according to a study in the 17 March Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Perfect Pitch May Help Babies Speak. By Jonathan Amos.
It is likely that everyone is born with perfect pitch and then loses it as they grow older, for the simple reason that we do not need such a refined sense of hearing to go about our daily lives.
Perfect Pitch and Sundry Syndromes.
Writing in response to a report in Science by G. Schlaug concerning the brain asymmetry observed in musicians with perfect or absolute pitch* (SF#99), O. Sacks expands the domain of the phenomenon to include other human talents.
Is Perfect Pitch Favored by Natural Selection?
Since perfect pitch would seem to be of little use to primitive humans in hunting and gathering, why was it selected for?
The Biology of ... Perfect Pitch Name That Tone. By Michael Abrams.
For decades, biologists thought that perfect pitch was a genetic anomaly, passed on from generation to generation. Identical twins are far more likely than fraternal twins to have perfect pitch, and nearly half of all people with perfect pitch have relatives who have it. But studies by Deutsch and others have shown that perfect pitch is far more common than it seems. It's a form of speech rather than a feature of music—and like speech, it can be learned.
The vocalist.org webmaster writes about his search for perfect pitch.
Genes and Perfect Pitch. By Jennifer Suh.
Having "perfect pitch" may depend on
language. By James Glanz.
Most native speakers of languages that use tones to convey meaning may have
a form of perfect pitch, according to new research that suggests that many
or even most babies may be born with perfect pitch, but lose it if they do
not learn a tonal language or undergo early musical training.
The Infinite Mind: Perfect Pitch.
Why can some people name a note as soon as they hear it when others can't tell one from another? In this hour, we'll explore the mysterious ability known as perfect pitch. A cellist with perfect pitch will give a guided tour through the notes and keys. We'll also hear from a psychologist and geneticist who have different ideas about how many people have perfect pitch and why. And a report on Williams Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder which can cause physical and mental problems - and a sensitivity to music and pitch. Guests include: Gordon Grubb, a cellist with the Grossmont Symphony; Dr. Dan Levitin, a record producer and psychology professor at McGill University; Dr. Peter Gregersen, Chief of the Division of Biology and Human Genetics North Shore University Hospital; Dr. Ursula Bellugi, professor and director of the laboratory for cognitive neuroscience at the Salk Institute; Dr. Glen Schellenberg, professor of psychology at the University of Toronto; and Dr. Howard Lenhoff, professor emeritus at the University of California at Irvine. Commentary by John Hockenberry.
The Myth of "Perfect Pitch"... and How to Get "It". By Kirk Whipple.
This series of articles is being offered with two goals in mind: first, to prove that what is commonly and mistakenly referred to as "perfect pitch" is actually a widely learnable skill, and second, to show that it is only one of many useful musical skills to be learned and applied.
Study of 'perfect pitch' bolsters new theories of brain development. By Dan Rutz.
Doctors studying musicians and pitch detection have found an unusual link between brain development and perfect pitch.
Researchers pinpoint perfect pitch. By Anna Salleh.
Australian scientists say they have directly pinpointed the part of the brain responsible for perfect pitch in musicians – although it's still too early to say if this musical skill is a gift we inherit or acquire.
Absolute Pitch: An Approach for Identification of Genetic and Nongenetic Components. By Siamak-Baharloo, Paul A. Johnston, Susan K. Service, Jane Gitschier and Nelson B. Freimer.
By surveying more than 600 musicians in music conservatories, training programs, and orchestras, we have attempted to dissect the influences of early musical training and genetics on the development of this ability.
Speaking In Tones. By Alan Hall.
In the Western world, musicians with so-called perfect, or absolute, pitch are an envied rarity. But it now seems that perfect pitch is just a fact of life for many people in Asia. In a paper that will be presented on November 4 at the annual meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Diana Deutsch, Trevor Henthorn of the Department of Psychology at the University of California San Diego and Mark Dolson of E-mu/Creative Technology Center show that native speakers of tonal languages, even those with no musical training whatsoever, exhibit a remarkable ability to sound perfect pitches.
Absolute pitch is either the exact pitch of a note described by its number of vibrations per second, or the ability, commonly referred to as perfect pitch, to identify a note by name without the benefit of a reference note.
Absolute memory for musical pitch: Evidence from the production of learned melodies. By Daniel Levitin.
Evidence for the absolute nature of long-term auditory memory is provided by analyzing the production of familiar melodies. Additionally, a two-component theory of absolute pitch is presented, which conceives of this rare ability as consisting of a more common ability, pitch memory, and a separate, less common ability, pitch labelling. Forty-six subjects sang two different popular songs and their productions were compared to the actual pitches used in recordings of those songs. 40% of the subjects sang the correct pitch on at least one trial; 12% of the subjects hit the correct pitch on both trials, and 44% came within two semitones of the correct pitch on both trials. The results show a convergence with previous studies on the stability of auditory imagery and latent absolute pitch ability; further, the results suggest that individuals might possess representations of pitch that are more stable and accurate than previously recognized.
Products
[commercial]
Absolute Pitch Power uses the power of your subconscious mind to take on this skill with ease. After only 7 sessions, you're done!
MonoSonic. By David Griswold.
I have released a new Audio CD for perfect pitch memory training. There are no drills, tests, or lectures in my ear training CD. You just listen to the sounds regularly and musical note "A" will be memorized.
Learn the art of pitch recognition, relative pitch and perfect pitch with our Perfect Pitch training system.
The Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse. By David Lucas Burge.
Uses the unique method of playing a note in an atonal context, combined with visual stimuli, to help you acquire perfect pitch.
[non-commercial]
The online, free ear training on the Net.
Studies have shown that the once considered innate gift of Perfect Pitch can be learned with practice. ProLobe is an ear training software package which can be used by anyone--musician or not, to culture your perceptual skills.
Sites
Famous People with Perfect Pitch.
Database of famous well-known individuals with the ability of absolute pitch.
Perfect Pitch Ear Training.
If you want to learn about perfect pitch, or if you want to actually learn
perfect pitch, this website is definitely for you. I
am in the process of teaching myself perfect pitch, and as I teach myself, I'm
going to keep track of my observations here on this website.
I have perfect pitch, also known as absolute pitch. People often ask me questions about how it works and feels, so here's my attempt.
Miscellaneous
University of California Genetics of Absolute Pitch Study.
Our primary goal is
to identify the genes that are involved in the development of Perfect Pitch.
This study will allow us to better understand the interplay of genetics and
musical training in the development of this behavioural trait.
Last update: January 7, 2004
www.PerfectPitchList.com/Links
Originally created and currently maintained by Pablo Stafforini