king@dciem.dciem.dnd.ca (Stephen King) (11/30/89)
I recently saw a magazine advertisement which claimed that perfect pitch could be learned. I would like to improve my sense of pitch, yet am skeptical of advertising claims and would like to find out if anyone has had success with do-it-yourself pitch training before I part with my $85. Thanks for any and all advice, Steve.
marvit@hplpm.hpl.hp.com (Peter Marvit) (12/01/89)
Well, just a single data point, but I was part of a psychological/musical experiment a few years ago testing the hypothesis that absolute pitch could be learned. The results were mixed. All subjects were trained on a single note, rather than all 12. At the end of the period (3 months?) most people could accurately recognize or produce their pitch (mine was C), though not with 100% accuracy. A follow-up a year later showed that the "learned" ability was substantially lost. For a nice overview, look in "Psychology of Music", Diana Deutsch editor. There is a chapter reviewing absolute pitch literature. I cannot find my copy at the moment,. or I would offer more than anecdotal information. -Peter "I need absolute sales pitch" Marvit HP Labs