# Question about Perfect Pitch **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 25, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040 "2004-05-25T19:32:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/1 "2004-05-25T19:32:42Z")
Can you develop perfect pitch, or do you have to be born with it? ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/2 "2004-05-25T19:48:35Z")
Actually, I heard an interesting story about this a while back on the radio. Someone did a study on perfect pitch among native Chinese speakers, where pitch is an important part of the language. Long story short, they found that most people are born with perfect pitch - most people, when starting to sing a well-known song, for instance, will hit the exact same note every time. What’s more rare is the ability to name a specific note, and the people who did the study speculated that mentally assigning names to notes is something that needs to be learned as a youth. Interesting stuff. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/3 "2004-05-25T20:00:28Z")
I’ve heard this before, about Asian speaker of languages which prioritise pitch. In this situation I prefer the term _absolute pitch_, which English speakers (and may other languages) lose, replacing it with _relative pitch_, which is more important in our language. Certainly it’s possible to acquire pitch-memory: I can tune my violin to concert pitch with a high degree of accuracy without outside help, and without perfect pitch. But with any acoustic instrument, the quality of the note varies with the pitch - only with an electronically-generated pure signal could a real test for perfect pitch be conducted. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/4 "2004-05-25T21:36:35Z")
I cured a flaw in my musical hearing (could by no means hear b flat) by studying the violin. In fact: especially started with that study for that reason and then got addicted 🙂 Lately I began to study a bit on baroque violin (415hz) and have no difficulties with that either. Everyone always claimed to me that “perfect pitch” is inborn, yet my idea is that everyone can upgrade it to perfect with specific training. Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/5 "2004-05-25T21:48:55Z")
> [@Aldebaran](#): > > I cured a flaw in my musical hearing (could by no means hear b flat) I’m curious about this. Do you mean that you could hear any note except for a Bb? Like, you could hear a chromatic scale, but there would be silence in one spot? ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/6 "2004-05-25T21:59:12Z")
Well, I’m no David Lucas Burge, but I can tune an acoustic guitar to damn near perfect every time just by feel. By feel I mean more the vibration that the string makes than the pitch it produces. I have no real musical training other than what I’ve taught myself. I think like many things, you can teach yourself quite well, but there are those with an ingrained talent for such things as well. ---
**Author:** ![Aldebaran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Aldebaran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aldebaran)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/7 "2004-05-25T22:05:53Z")
> [@Jpeg Jones](#): > > I’m curious about this. Do you mean that you could hear any note except for a Bb? Like, you could hear a chromatic scale, but there would be silence in one spot? I could hear it of course, but could not place it = note it down correctly during musical dictation. Salaam. A ---
**Author:** ![Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bc8723/32.png) [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/8 "2004-05-25T22:26:48Z")
I can’t say myself if the _capacity_ for perfect pitch is something one must be born with. However, I can say with confidence that there are perfect pitch tricks I can do now that I could not do as a child. Twenty years of playing piano has enabled me to recognize tones and chords and intervals to a degree I could never have done before I began playing. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/9 "2004-05-25T23:44:23Z")
I taught myself perfect pitch with a simple program I wrote. It would play a random MIDI note, and then I had to press the right key on the MIDI keyboard. If I guessed right, I was rewarded with a happy major triad. If I guessed wrong, I got nasty minor seconds and other intervals of doom. Eventually I got pretty close to 100% accuracy. But I haven’t practiced with that in a long time, and my abilties have slipped noticeably. A friend of mine had a good trick. If you played him a note, he would sing it, and know the pitch by how it felt. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2004, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/10 "2004-05-25T23:45:32Z")
This is kinda related to **Aldebaran’s** situation and might assist in **JJ’s** curiosity. I don’t have a problem when tuning my guitar and can do a good job of it by ear despite the fact that I have a pretty bad case of tinnitus. > [@](#): > > Webster’s- > Main Entry: tin·ni·tus > Pronunciation: 'ti-n&-t&s, t&-'nI-t&s > Function: noun > Etymology: Latin, ringing, tinnitus, from tinnire to ring, of imitative origin > : a sensation of noise (as a ringing or roaring) that is caused by a bodily condition (as a disturbance of the auditory nerve or wax in the ear) and can usually be heard only by the one affected. This constant ringing is the exact pitch of some cell phones and an old alarm clock I once had. It could be right beside me and I’d never hear it. Well that’s not exactly true. I could hear it but couldn’t distinguish it from what I always hear. I have learned to tune that sound out and therefore ALL things with that same pitch. That definition for tinnitus said, the ringing… "can **usually** be heard only by the one affected. Usually? hmmm, that’s new to me. Somebody’s ears ringing so loud that other folks could hear it. :eek: Sorry about the hijack **Blalron**. How do you mean? Can you learn to sing with perfect pitch? Hear? I think it is probably a talent that is refined. You are neither born with nor is it something taught with a few rare exceptions of course. Actually, I always thought Nolan Ryan had a perfect pitch but apparently Randy Johnson does too. 😉 This is NOT something that you can just learn. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2004, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/11 "2004-05-26T00:53:57Z")
> [@t-keela](#): > > Sorry about the hijack **Blalron**. How do you mean? Can you learn to sing with perfect pitch? Hear? > I think it is probably a talent that is refined. You are neither born with nor is it something taught with a few rare exceptions of course. I mean identifying a note by name when hearing it without having another note to compare it to and just call out “B sharp” or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![t-keela](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a3d4f5/32.png) [@t-keela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/t-keela)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/12 "2004-05-27T13:59:35Z")
According to a study being conducted at UCSF [absolute pitch](http://perfectpitch.ucsf.edu/ppstudy.html) is the product of both nature and nurture. > [@](#): > > Our study suggests that a genetic predisposition for Perfect Pitch and musical training are both important for the development of Perfect Pitch. I know some folks that are absolutely tone deaf. Also possibly a genetic disorder.[This study](http://www.npr.org/programs/atc/features/2002/jan/tonedeaf/020116.tonedeaf.html?Story_ID=329414) Yet they want to play so bad it hurts…and they do, play bad that is and yes it hurts like hell to listen. My brother comes over from time to time and after a few beers he wants to start banging on one of my guitars. After a little while I just have to take it away from him. Worse yet when he finds a harmonica. My father’s family is musically inclined but not mom’s. She has a piano, a damned nice Baldwin and took lessons. She learned scales and a few pieces by rote but that’s where it stopped. Dad taught himself to play the french harp when he was in the merchant marines and plays the piano some. It really pisses mom off when he’ll sit down and start playing a song he just heard. Both of his sisters play by ear as well. I have several cousins on dad’s side of the family and when we use to have family reunions the old timers would break out the fiddles and banjos, guitars and pianos…etc. and play most of the day. There are at least a couple of “famous” musicians in the family. Famous meaning they’ve had a career in the business and have made a few albums. So, I stand by my original statement that a predisposition combined with practice is for the majority cause/reason some folks have absolute pitch. Although, I’ve seen a few sites that claim anyone can learn perfect pitch using their “program”…only costs a few bucks. Does anyone else smell a rat? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2004, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-perfect-pitch/247040/13 "2004-05-27T14:32:39Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > I mean identifying a note by name when hearing it without having another note to compare it to and just call out “B sharp” or whatever. In that case, nobody can be born with it: there is nothing natural about the musical scale we are familiar with, we are just indoctrinated with it throughout our lives.