THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABSOLUTE PITCH: THE EARLY TRAINING THEORY
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ABSOLUTE PITCH: THE EARLY TRAINING THEORY

Summary/Abstract: Absolute pitch is defined as the ability to identify the pitch class of a certain given sound without the aid of an external reference pitch. Due to the fact that this aptitude is quite rare between musicians, absolute pitch often remains to the mercy of myths and speculations. During the last decade, a growing body of literature focused on finding the psychological and musical factors associated to absolute pitch, as well on discovering its true etiology. The present study aims to review the most relevant studies dedicated to this special ability. The relationship between absolute pitch, pseudo-absolute pitch and relative pitch is first discussed. The incidence of absolute pitch is significantly higher between tone language speakers and, as a result, the link between language development and absolute pitch development is also approached. This aptitude may be considered either having a genetic component (the innateness hypothesis) or being a consequence of early music training during a critical period (the early training theory). Educational implications of the early training theory are argued.

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