Perfect Pitch: Language Wins Out Over Genetics
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 - 15:28
in Mathematics & Economics
Mozart, Tchaikovsky, Sinatra and Hendrix -- these and many other of the world's most famous musicians have had "perfect" or "absolute" pitch. The ability, defined as recognizing the pitch of a musical note without having to compare it to any reference note, is quite rare in the U.S. and Europe, where only about one person in 10,000 is thought to have it. Often lumped into the mysterious realm of Talent, perfect pitch is - according to Diana Deutsch of the University of California, San Diego - probably more the result of nurture than nature, more environment than genes.
Read the whole article on Physorg
More from Physorg
Related
- Tone language is key to perfect pitchTue, 19 May 2009, 16:28:43 EDT
- 'Perfect pitch' in humans far more prevalent than expectedTue, 26 Aug 2008, 0:21:20 EDT
- Perfect pitch study offers window into influences of nature and nurtureThu, 2 Jul 2009, 17:15:57 EDT
- Analysis of windmill pitching shows risk of injury to biceps in softball playersTue, 24 Mar 2009, 16:04:34 EDT
- Tuning in to a new language on the fly: Effects of context and seasonality on songbird brainWed, 6 Aug 2008, 2:29:04 EDT