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Abstract
Fall 2003, Vol. 21, No. 1, Pages 111–117 , DOI 10.1525/mp.2003.21.1.111
Posted online on December 22, 2003.
(doi:10.1525/mp.2003.21.1.111)

Absolutist Models of Absolute Pitch Are Absolutely Misleading

OLIVER VITOUCH
University of Klagenfurt, Austria
Address correspondence to Oliver Vitouch, Cognitive Psychology Unit (CPU), Dept. of Psychology, University of Klagenfurt, Universitaetsstr. 65-67, 9020 Klagenfurt, Austria. (e-mail: )



The early learning model of absolute pitch has recently been challenged (W. A. Brown, H. Sachs, K. Cammuso, & S. E. Folstein, 2002). This article gives a brief review of the cumulative evidence in favor of the model: Prevalence of absolute pitch is increased (a) in the congenitally and early blind, (b) among musicians in Japan, a country with a special tradition of early music training, and (c) in different types of genetically based cognitive deficit syndromes; (d) latent forms of absolute pitch are widespread, (e) there are remarkable parallels to first language acquisition, and (f) strong correlations are consistently found between early music training and the manifestation of AP in adolescence. Apart from atypical cases, early tonal training during a sensitive period and up to a “hard” age limit seems of absolute pitch. The question of sufficiency of adequate early training methods (i.e., acquisition without hypothetical distinctive genetic priming factors) is not yet sufficiently settled.

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, , . (2009) Absolute Pitch--Functional Evidence of Speech-Relevant Auditory Acuity. Cerebral Cortex
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CrossRef
, . (2008) Is There an Asian Advantage for Pitch Memory?. Music Perception 25:3, 241-252
Online publication date: 1-Feb-2008.
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, . (2006) Learning Absolute Pitch by Children. Music Perception 24:1, 63-78
Online publication date: 1-Sep-2006.
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, , . (2003) Learning the “Special Note”: Evidence for a Critical Period for Absolute Pitch Acquisition. Music Perception 21:1, 119-127
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