THE TRUTH About Absolute Pitch

Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven are believed to have had absolute pitch. Absolute Pitch (also commonly known as perfect pitch or pure pitch) appeals to many musicians because it means the ability to recognize ANY PITCH without the use of an outside device for reference. I am a musician by hobby, and have always been fascinated by the notion of absolute pitch because it seems it would be an excellent tool when composing, singing, or playing an instrument. I have always thought that people with absolute pitch are perhaps closer to music on some intimate level. Many musicians wish they had the ability, but the truth is you don't need it to become a famous or talented musician.

But, if you know what absolute pitch is all about, and want to have the ability, the truth is, you can develop Absolute Pitch, too:

Learn Absolute Pitch Using the PROVEN Pure Pitch Method!

Some Common Questions:

-So, what exactly is absolute (or perfect / pure) pitch?

-Do only genius composers have the ability?

-Do they have it because they listened to Mozart while in the womb?

-Do they just have a higher IQ or a really good memory for pitch frequencies and their names?

-Is absolute pitch a result of genetic endowment or of our early childhood nurturing?

-How is absolute pitch different from relative pitch?

-And most importantly: Can I learn to recognize pitches as well as someone born with the ability?

Naming the Pitch

Hearing and recognizing the name of a given pitch without an outside reference is NOT the result of higher cognition or huge memory or IQ, but of a different TYPE of cognition.

It has been proven that some animals other than humans have the capability for absolute pitch. Some birds, and one type of frog are known to have this 'talent'. So is it really a talent? No - it is simply an attribute, an ability, just as we have the ability to walk, and it is not special in any way except in its rarity.

The ability is akin to the association between a color and its name. Throughout early childhood we are exposed to all the main colors and learn their names. We don't need a color wheel on hand for reference when faced with the color green to know that its name is green.

Likewise, exposure during a critical period in early childhood (1-6 years old) to musical pitches while learning their associated names can aid in the development of absolute pitch. It's not quite that simple, and some genetics may be involved, but this early process plays an important role.

Roy Bogus was a child prodigy on the piano, and now is a renowned concert pianist. He says, about his absolute pitch capability:

"It's instantaneous recognition, and I think the color analogy is the best one. You don't have to stop and think about the color blue or the color red - it just is. You just know, without having to process that. It's the same way that I recognize pitches."

Only one in every ten thousand people have absolute pitch. But being born with the gift does not necessarily mean you will retain it beyond childhood, and the case of Roy Bogus is a good example of what happens when the gift is nurtured instead of stifled.

In the United States and Europe it is estimated that about 3% of the total population has the ability. Significantly higher, 10% of musicians accepted to Julliard have absolute pitch. However, in Asian cultures absolute pitch is much more common. While the percentage of professional and semi-professional musicians in the US and Europe is about 8%, Japan can boast a huge 70% of their musicians as having absolute pitch.

What does this mean? Some view this data as evidence that genetics are key. However, a more subtle approach takes into account the difference in cultures, and specifically in language between the Western world and Asia.

Linguistics has been shown to influence the rate of absolute pitch. In Mandarin, Vietnamese, Japanese, etc. the key thing is tonal variation in regular speech. One word can be phonetically similar to another, and the only way to differentiate between them is in the rising and falling pitches with which the words are spoken. To learn a language that requires such recognition of small variations in pitch as a first language can permanently define the way someone hears pitches.

One STUDY shows that native speakers of two tone languages - Vietnamese and Mandarin - show remarkably precise absolute pitch in reading out lists of words. Since pitch is an essential feature in conveying the meaning of words in tone language, the findings lead the experts to believe that the POTENTIAL FOR ACQUIRING ABSOLUTE PITCH MAY BE UNIVERSAL, and that it can be realized by the association of pitches with meaningful words very early in life.

Is there a difference?

YES, there is a difference.

Many musicians have relative pitch, because it is easier to learn. The reason it is easier to learn relative pitch is that it allows a reference pitch to recognize other pitches. In other words, a musician with relative pitch can hear one note (the name of the note must be given) and be able to identify most or all of the other notes heard just by comparison to the original pitch.

Someone with relative pitch would also be able to discern intervals between two or more pitches in a chord. However, they would not necessarily be able to tell the name of any individual note or the chord as a whole - only their relative relationship.

So, someone who has absolute pitch recognition would be able to tell the name of the chord, as well as intervals and each individual note; whereas someone with relative pitch would only be able to tell the type of chord and intervals between the notes, unless they were told the name of a given pitch to which they could compare the other notes.

Relative pitch normally comes with considerable experience in a musical pursuit, be it playing an instrument, singing, or composing. But if one were to take the learning of relative pitch seriously as a pursuit of its own, it would be easier to grasp than absolute pitch.

Depends on Your Effort

The products CAN work. Certain products work better than others, but their success at teaching you absolute pitch (or relative pitch as some of them do) depends on the EFFORT YOU PUT INTO IT.

Like all courses, if you don't stick to the plan, if you give up on parts or get lazy in your lessons, it won't work. It especially won't work if you think it will happen over night. It is a long process, and can take up to 3 or 4 months to really work. And it's not like riding a bike, where you learn it once and you never have to relearn. After you think you've mastered it, your ability will normally fade in time, which means you have to work at it every now and then to keep fresh. "Use it or lose it," as your Spanish teacher always says.

This is because even though it is possible to learn the ability to discern pitches, it is still not ingrained in the brain as it is in those who are born with the ability. Someone born with the ability who uses it in early childhood will pretty much have it the rest of their life. But learning after that critical period in childhood means it is an ability that you must work for, and not one that is just always there.

There are a lot of products and programs and computer games that claim to teach the abilities of absolute and relative pitch. Here are two of the best:

#1: The most viable option, & GREAT VALUE for a LOW PRICE:

The Pure Pitch Method

Why is this the BEST?

-Higher quality than most, but more affordable than many programs that promise the same results

-Has been proven to work for all ages, in a shorter amount of time than most other programs

-Provides the most logical, sense-based approach to developing Absolute Pitch in the brain

-Goes for a DISCOUNTED PRICE of: $97

#2 Another of my top choices:

Perfect Pitch Ear Training SuperCourse

Why is it one of the best?

-It is proven to work, and has been on the market for close to 30 years

-It is good quality compared to most programs out there

! BUT !

-It is list priced at $170, a little pricey for someone who just wants to expand their musicianship