An Investigation Into the Nature of Absolute Pitch

By Jennifer Lancaster

Relative Pitch• Music has a key and

tonal center

For instance: C major C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C

• The tonic of this scale is C

• When this scale is played or a tone from it is given as a reference, people with RP can identify pitches from it

• This identification is done through interval recognition

• Intervals are the distances between each of the pitches (see next slide)

• Music students are trained in this

Intervals

Absolute Pitch

• Needs no reference tones to identify and recall pitches

• Automatic• Most people are told

that this is unattainable

• Most people are taught about disadvantages in having AP

• Remember not to confuse this with well-developed RP or vocal tension pitch

• No one really knows where this ability comes from

• Four basic theories

Absolute Pitch Theories• Heredity- inherited through

genetics

• Imprinting-learned only through a critical period

during childhood

• Learning-anyone can learn at any time

• Unlearning-all born with potential, but its “taught” out of us

Sample Survey Questions

1. Do you have a memory for all 12 pitches? 2. Are you confident in your ability to identify them

immediately? 3. How has your case of absolute pitch been confirmed

or documented? 4. What happens in your mind as you recognize a pitch?5. Does it take more thinking to place the pitch in its

correct octave?   

(questions continued)6. Do you associate pitch with colors?

7. Are the colors consistent every time?

8. Do the different timbres of instruments throw you off?

9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having absolute pitch?

 10. Did you have a piano or keyboard instrument in your home as a child? Did you play it?

(questions continued)

 11. Are there any other people in your family that claim to have absolute pitch?

12. Do you believe your ability comes from a memory for different pitch heights/levels, or from some other quality in pitches that helps you differentiate between them?

David Burge’s Color Hearing Approach

• Color hearing does not have anything to do with synethesia (a rare phenomenon in which people hear music and see colors)

• Coloring hearing program does not train through flashing colors in front of subjects’ eyes

Burge suggests that there is another element to absolute pitch, beyond the “normal” way pitches are identified

(tone height)

Color Hearing Program

• Hearing the “deep characteristics” of each individual pitch

• Some identify F# as twangy or Eb as mellow• This program was implemented in an Ohio study

that yielded positive results• First exercise has subjects play chromatic scale

and listening for characteristics of each pitch and draw a “color” diagram – This is to cross relate the senses of sight and

sound

As a child, we were taught to identify colors. The majority of us know that this is red

& this is blue.

Why don’t we learn to identify pitches?

With Burge’s program, one learns to identify pitches as one might learn to identify colors.

Challenges In Dealing With AP In This Experiment

• Eliminating RP cues– We will use pitches that are all the same

distance apart from each other– Distractions between test items

• Motivation– Possible incentives– Useful skill

Our Experiment

• Small scale (6-10 subjects)

• Learn 6 pitches• Training run for 2

months• Pretest and Posttest

• Deep listening activities

• Describing pitches• Drills on pitches • 20 minutes per day• Subjects have partners