Exploring the Genetic and Environmental Causes of Perfect Pitch

Naomi Lester

Abstract


Perfect pitch, or absolute pitch, possessors can recognise, recall, and label musical notes quickly, and do not require a reference note, like those with relative pitch abilities do. The phenomenon is seen as advantageous to musicians, with notable performers and artists throughout history possessing it. This paper aims to explore the effects that genetics, language, culture, and education can have on perfect pitch, and discuss which are the most crucial to its development.


Keywords


Perfect Pitch; Biology; Genetics; Music; Language

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References


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