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No. 34: Jul-Aug 1984

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A Note On Perfect Pitch

An individual with perfect pitch can identify a tone without hearing a second tone for comparison. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that such individuals possess a set of frequency standards somewhere in their permanent memories. The less fortunate of us do not have the genes that lead to the construction of these cerebral frequency standards.

(Anonymous; "A Note on Perfect Pitch," Scientific American, 250:82, June 1984.)

Comment. Question 1. Does perfect pitch have any survival value that would stimulate its evolution? Question 2. How are these frequency standards coded on the genes?

From Science Frontiers #34, JUL-AUG 1984. © 1984-2000 William R. Corliss

Science Frontiers Sourcebook Project Reviewed in:

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  • "Before opening the book, I set certain standards that a volume which treads into dangerous grounds grounds like this must meet. The author scrupulously met, or even exceeded those standards. Each phenomenon is exhaustively documented, with references to scientific journals [..] and extensive quotations" -- "Book Review: The moon and planets: a catalog of astronomical anomalies", The Sourcebook Project, 1985., Corliss, W. R., Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada>, Vol. 81, no. 1 (1987), p. 24., 02/1987