
Perfect Pitch
Camille van Niekerk
Absolute pitch is the ability to identify pitches by ear. Perfect pitch is the ability to sing specific pitches without reference. Because these skills go hand-in-hand, and most people use them interchangeably, it’s safe to assume that if you have one, you have (or can easily develop) the other. Most people say that no, perfect pitch cannot be learned. Rather, it’s an ability you’re born with. However, in order to “prove” they have perfect pitch, a person would need to learn scientific pitch notation (and maybe a little music theory), to assign names to the pitches they know. For this reason, a person without musical training could have perfect pitch and not know it!