A pill for perfect pitch?

[Rook]

A drug called Valproic Acid has been to shown to increase the capacity for test subjects to learn perfect pitch. Not quite sure what to think of that, but it sure is fascinating from a neuroscience and developmental psychology standpoint.

Abstract from the paper:

"Absolute pitch, the ability to identify or produce the pitch of a sound without a reference point, has a critical period, i.e., it can only be acquired early in life. However, research has shown that histone-deacetylase inhibitors (HDAC inhibitors) enable adult mice to establish perceptual preferences that are otherwise impossible to acquire after youth. In humans, we found that adult men who took valproate (VPA) (a HDAC inhibitor) learned to identify pitch significantly better than those taking placebo—evidence that VPA facilitated critical-period learning in the adult human brain. Importantly, this result was not due to a general change in cognitive function, but rather a specific effect on a sensory task associated with a critical-period."

(rest of the paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3848041/ )

[owen]

It's also used in epilepsy and as a lesstoxicbutlessuseful alternative to lithium as a mood stabiliser.

So what the paper is saying is that all musos should be on a mood stabiliser.

Difficult to disagree

[E.S.]

"Acquired" being a key word here. I didn't have it - now I do. I guess endless hours of transcribing complicated music tuned the ears a bit. But it's occasionally off by a semitone or so.

This could have saved me the trouble. 

[BrendanGee]

Yeah, it's a bit presumptuous to say that it can "only" be learned when you're young.
It is true that starting this learning young will provide a better understanding of the concept (the child most likely has no pre-existing learning methods in this area to conflict with this), this is of course not to say that adults are incapable of it, it's simply that it will take a lot more time & practise.

However, I'm not trying to discredit this paper and its finding. All in all it seems very interesting.

[DueyC]

Something I've always wondered about perfect pitch: What if you play an instrument that's tuned in a different key?

For instance, my first instruments were the recorder (in C), closely followed by the clarinet (B♭).
Later in life I took up the piano and flute (both C), and more recently the alto sax (E♭).

Is it any surprise that I don't have perfect pitch, and would playing clarinet or sax from sheet music drive me mad if I did?

[JimD]

I don't have perfect pitch (as anyone who has listened to my "toys" may concur), but my niece does. But she couldn't tune my bass the other day for some reason when we were experimenting with a duet with me in open-G on the guitar, and I think she was struggling with it, not so much that it was out of tune but with it not being in standard tune

[Pedro]

I don't have perfect pitch.

I think I might sometimes have pretty good pitch recall, in that when I am thinking of some songs I can hum or whistle the first note before playing it and I'll be spot on. Doesn't always work.

I also think I might have "perfect intonation", by which I mean that if an instrument is out of tune (e.g. guitar with one or more strings slightly off) it really stands out for me. So I notice when intervals are not a whole number of semi-tones.
The only caveat nowadays is that I begin to struggle with bass notes, probably due to the state of my ears (high mileage, careless driver!).

[E.S.]

I have no idea how it really works. It's not really useful for anything in any musical situation, other than getting a guitar up to tune without a tuner nearby, or at least pretty close to it.

It's almost like a synesthesia thing, linking notes with colours or images. I remember noting at the 2011 F* gig that they were tuned down, it was bleedin obvious to me but others thought it was black magic. It's just timbre changes when notes are changed. Or something. It's weird.

Oh, and playing tuned down instruments can feel very strange. You get used to it.

[Renters]

I think I might sometimes have pretty good pitch recall, in that when I am thinking of some songs I can hum or whistle the first note before playing it and I'll be spot on.

This is interesting.  I have a really good ear for a tune, although that doesn't help me remember where to put my fingers much.  But when I am 'singing' a song in my head, and go to the real version, I am always in the wrong key.  Very odd.

[E.S.]

I think I might sometimes have pretty good pitch recall, in that when I am thinking of some songs I can hum or whistle the first note before playing it and I'll be spot on.

This is interesting.  I have a really good ear for a tune, although that doesn't help me remember where to put my fingers much.  But when I am 'singing' a song in my head, and go to the real version, I am always in the wrong key.  Very odd.

Maybe you have a perfect fifth. 

[Rook]

I think I might sometimes have pretty good pitch recall, in that when I am thinking of some songs I can hum or whistle the first note before playing it and I'll be spot on.

This is interesting.  I have a really good ear for a tune, although that doesn't help me remember where to put my fingers much.  But when I am 'singing' a song in my head, and go to the real version, I am always in the wrong key.  Very odd.

Maybe you have a perfect fifth. 

Or firth of fifth?

[Mikey]

I think I might sometimes have pretty good pitch recall, in that when I am thinking of some songs I can hum or whistle the first note before playing it and I'll be spot on.

This is interesting.  I have a really good ear for a tune, although that doesn't help me remember where to put my fingers much.  But when I am 'singing' a song in my head, and go to the real version, I am always in the wrong key.  Very odd.

Maybe you have a perfect fifth. 

Or firth of fifth?

Nice one :-)