Pure Pitch

Pure Pitch

About 1 person in 2000 has a pure pitch capability. Substantially more people have relative pitch or the ability to determine one note relative to another note.

There is some research which seems to indicate that there is a genetic factor at work which shows clusters of high or low responsiveness by the same or related family members.

However there’s also some research showing that all children are born with perfect pitch, but with no relative pitch. There is a definitive article by Prof. Jenny Saffran (Univ. of Wisconsin) on this subject.

According to a definitive paper by Dr. Diana Beutsch (UCSD), with no intervention, children begin to lose the perfect pitch capabilities by about age 6. Some suggest that you can help a child to retain that skill.

Also, consider the Suzuki Violin method which strongly promotes exposure to (violin) music from a very early age.

Whether or not perfect pitch is actually an asset, however, is another question. The benefit of perfect pitch is controversial; some say it’s more of a burden than a boon. Some persons with pure pitch claim to be able to "turn it off". But have a look here -- at the article by Franck Ernould.

The conclusion would seem to be that exposure to languages which stress gradations in tonality in order to derive meaning (such as Chinese and Thai), directly enhance sensitivity to musical tonality and to the retention of pure pitch capabilities.

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