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The purest form of absolute pitch is natural perfect pitch.

Natural perfect pitch is absolute pitch that an individual has from birth.

Until a child with natural perfect pitch actually understands that the pitches they hear have names, he or she has no way to identify what they hear. Because of this, many people do not know they have absolute pitch until they understand what they are hearing.

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Musical training can improve your hearing, according to several studies presented in Chicago at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

The studies found that serious musicians are better than other people at perceiving and remembering sounds. But it's not because they have better ears.

Sounds come in through the ears. But they travel through the nervous system and get interpreted by the brain.QuitSKIP INTROSite Map

The effects of music training in relation to brain plasticity have caused excitement, evident from the popularity of books on this topic among scientists and the general public.

Neuroscience research has shown that music training leads to changes throughout the auditory system that prime musicians for listening challenges beyond music processing.

This effect of music training suggests that, akin to physical exercise and its impact on body fitness, music is a resource that tones the brain for auditory fitness. Therefore, the role of music in shaping individual development deserves consideration.

QuitSKIP INTROSite MapAbsolute pitch can also be acquired through repetitive practice.

This is not as pure a form as natural perfect pitch, because the process is based on the programed memory of how the pitches sound rather than instinct.

There also may be various outside factors that can affect how the brain imprints the sound.

For these reasons, learned absolute pitch is not considered as pure as natural.

QuitMain MenuSub MenuSite MapSite MapTitle Page Intro 1Intro 2Main MenuPitch Recogni-tionChord Recogni-tionRelative PitchAbsolute Pitch Sub MenuDo you have it?Natural LearnedWhat is it?Pros and ConsAdvantagesDisadvantagesDescriptionSoft-wareDescriptionSoft-wareMusicians hear pitches in four distinctly different ways:

MAIN MENUAbsolute PitchRelative PitchChord RecognitionTimbre Recognition

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Relative Pitch

Relative pitch is the ability to discern a pitch by its relationship to the other pitches around it.

This is the most common form of pitch recognition in musicians.

Relative pitch is cognitive reasoning. A person with relative pitch can hear when notes are out of tune and adjust accordingly in relation to another pitch.

Those with relative pitch often rely heavily upon interval relationships between pitches.Site MapYou know you have absolute pitch if:

You are able to name a musical note played on any instrument, including musical tones emanating from common objects like the hum of a kitchen appliance, car horn, and/or doorbell

You are able to identify the key signature of any given piece of music

You are able to sing any note without a reference pitch

You are able to name multiple notes played simultaneously

QuitMain MenuSub MenuSite MapThe Pros and Cons of Absolute Pitch:

For many, perfect pitch can be a blessing and a curse at the same time.

The blessings are that the possessor of perfect pitch can:

Tune a musical instrument without aidCorrectly judge whether or not a piece of music is being played in the correct keyIdentify specific instruments as playing in or out of tuneThe curses are that those with perfect pitch find it harder to enjoy music; like seasoned wine connoisseurs, they can hear all of a performances flaws in intonation. They also find it harder to enjoy music not played in their original keys, as to them it is being played out of tune.

QuitMain MenuSub MenuSite MapQuitMain MenuMost people are born with some degree of relative pitch.

Musicians continue to develop higher levels of relative pitch as they become more experienced artists.

Relative pitch is the method most of us use to match pitches when we sing along with music on the radio or sing along in a choir.

Site MapIt is widely acknowledged that relative can be developed and improved dramatically through ear training.

All college level music programs require music students to complete at least two years of ear training courses as core curriculum for degrees in music.

There are software training programs available to assist in developing relative pitch. Used properly, theses programs can be a great help in increasing relative pitch awareness.

QuitMain MenuSite MapEar Master 5Triads are notes stacked on top of each other in thirds. The triad outlines the chord. The intervals between the notes defines whether the chord is major, minor, augmented or diminished. These terms define the quality or the chord.

Each quality has its own tonal characteristic. Major is the most solid sounding chord with a touch of consonant brilliance.

Minor on the other hand sounds less stable compared to major, and it has a darker, less consonant sound.

Discerning these chord types is called chord recognition.

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Fortunately, there are now user friendly software programs to help with chord recognition. Most are easy to use and progress is usually noticed quickly.QuitMain MenuSite MapAudioSoftware.com