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Absolute pitch - Distinctions

Absolute pitch - Distinctions: Encyclopedia II - Absolute pitch - Distinctions

The musicologist Richard Parncutt and the cognitive psychologist Daniel Levitin introduced the following distinctions in their entry on Absolute pitch in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Absolute pitch - Passive absolute pitch. Persons with passive absolute pitch are able to identify individual notes which they hear, and can identify the key of a composition (assuming some degree of musical knowledge). Not all of them are always capable of singing a given note on command. Those who can are known to possess "active" absolute pitch.

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Absolute pitch, Absolute pitch - Absolute pitch and linguistics, Absolute pitch - Absolute pitch as a special case of sensation, Absolute pitch - Active absolute pitch, Absolute pitch - Correlation with musical genius, Absolute pitch - Definition, Absolute pitch - Distinctions, Absolute pitch - Famous possessors of absolute pitch, Absolute pitch - Nature or Nurture?, Absolute pitch - Passive absolute pitch, Absolute pitch - Scientific studies related to absolute pitch

Absolute pitch: Encyclopedia II - Absolute pitch - Distinctions

Absolute pitch - Distinctions

Absolute pitch - Passive absolute pitch

Persons with passive absolute pitch are able to identify individual notes which they hear, and can identify the key of a composition (assuming some degree of musical knowledge). Not all of them are always capable of singing a given note on command. Those who can are known to possess "active" absolute pitch.

Absolute pitch - Active absolute pitch

Persons with active absolute pitch will be able to sing any given note when asked. Usually, people with active absolute pitch will not only be able to identify a note, but recognize when that note is slightly sharp or flat. Active absolute pitch possessors in the United States number about 1 in every 10,000. However, it has been measured to about 1/20 in other locations.

It cannot be assumed that all of these people with the gift of active absolute pitch are musicians. If one was to factor that in, the number of musicians with "active" absolute pitch is very, very small. However, musical training is necessary for full development of the auditory potential of a person with perfect pitch.