Why do some people have perfect pitch?

Perfect pitch, or absolute pitch (AP), describes a person’s ability to recognize a musical note without a reference tone. This does not necessarily involve simply identifying the note from a musical instrument, one can simply listen to the Android alarm and say, “That’s an F sharp.” It can be very useful for learning music, tuning instruments, and even writing songs.

Is it genetics? Or is it music training? Or is it both? Science is torn between these two disciplines in researching perfect pitch. Let’s break it down.

Upbringing: According to this theory, there is a very important period for attaining age, usually childhood. Several studies indicate that musical training at an early age is helpful in the development of AP.

Nature: On the other hand, nature says that AP is a genetic trait that you either inherit, or you don’t. Studies have shown that about half of AP holders have a first-degree relative who also has an AP, while the percentage of non-AP holders is much lower. Studies on twins show higher concordance rates (the percentage of twins who share a specific trait, given that at least one person in the pair has it) in identical twins compared to fraternal twins.

The possibility is that it could be a mixture of both. Although genetic aptitude may be present, early musical training is almost essential for proper acquisition. Some people do not achieve AP despite early musical training, which suggests that the genetic component is quite complex.

It may sound strange, but if you can speak languages ​​like Punjabi, Chinese or Korean, your pitch is likely to be perfect. This is because these are tonal languages. Tonal languages ​​are languages ​​where the pitch of a syllable changes its meaning.

In 1999, a study was conducted by Diana Deutsch on 88 music students at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York. The aim was to find out whether learning a tonal language helps students develop absolute pitch.

They found that native Chinese and Vietnamese speakers were more likely to have absolute pitch than English speakers. This was because they were tonal languages.

According to him, absolute pitch was like a second language to people who spoke tonal languages. However, for students who speak a non-tonal language like English, absolute pitch is like a first language. To summarize their findings, the percentage of Mandarin students with AP was higher than that of students with AP.

absolute pitch vs relative pitch

Relative pitch should not be confused with absolute pitch. The former means identifying a note in relation to other notes. For example, if you can identify middle C just by listening, you can identify other notes by tracing other notes from there.

While science explains part of it, researchers are still studying why only some people develop perfect pitch. Despite all the studies that have been done, this remains one of the most fascinating intersections of biology and art.

Charlie Puth performs during New Year’s Eve celebrations in New York’s Times Square, Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015. (AP Photo/Ted Sheffery) | Photo Credit: Ted Sheffery