The secret of perfect pitch

"Mozart had it. Beethoven probably had it. Most musicians agree that, even though they'd had no formal musical training, Jimi Hendrix and Ella Fitzgerald probably had it. I am talking about absolute pitch, the uncanny ability of some musicians to name any pitch they hear. As it happens, I have it too, and have often wondered why every note has its own distinct character, like a flavour, or a smell.

Musicians, psychologists and neuroscientists have struggled for decades to work out what causes absolute pitch and whether it really does contribute to exceptional musicianship. Now they are finally coming up with some answers, with numerous studies suggesting that brains like mine are wired in a different way. It turns out almost everyone may have had the prerequisites of absolute pitch at the start of their lives, pointing to the tantalising possibility that many more may be able to learn the skill.

At least one thing is certain: the secret to absolute, or perfect, pitch doesn't lie in the ear. Assuming no hearing impairments, everyone's ears pick up the same sounds. That means the difference must lie in the brain, somehow allowing people with absolute pitch to recognise that a sound with a frequency of 440 hertz is an "A" in the same way that we all consider light of 660 terahertz to be "blue"."
via New Scientist /continue reading