Pitch Less Than Perfect

Having just been downgraded at work to slightly less than full-time employment, I find I have a little more time on my hands. And if the devil makes work for idle hands, a computer and the Internet seem to have taken on God's role, keeping me busy with things that have been lurking about in the background.

This blog, for instance. And the press release I encountered some time back, in which researchers from the University of California San Francisco discuss their research into a genetic background for perfect pitch. Whether perfect pitch or some other talent, we've all encountered individuals who say they were "just born with it." But what exactly does that mean? What exactly in their physical makeup or the individual biochemistry results in a person having a particular skill?

It may be, as with eye color and certain diseases, that perfect pitch has a genetic component. For the patient sample of this study, the scientists looked at families in which at least 2 people (usually siblings) had perfect pitch as determined by a web-based test. They then obtained DNA samples and looked for bits of DNA shared by family members with perfect pitch. They discovered that genetic variations related to acquiring perfect pitch might be different among different ethnic groups.

In terms of what this might mean, the press release said it was an important development for scientists looking to understand the role of nature and nurture in early musical training. I took the test, and to my somewhat surprise, I was awful! (Results in the image above.) These are not the kind of results you want to see in a musician. So I think I'll stick to my day job. Er, wait a minute...

To take the University of California Absolute Pitch Study (you will have to answer a lot of questions before you actually get to it), follow this link.