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Article: RESEARCHERS TRACE PERFECT-PITCH GENE.(Living)
- Article from:
- Albany Times Union (Albany, NY)
- Article date:
- November 20, 1990
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1990 Albany Times Union. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Byline: Sandra Blakeslee New York Times
Andre Previn has it; Willie Nelson does not. Nat King Cole had it; Vladimir Horowitz did not. About 10 percent of students at the Juilliard School of Music have it but most musicians don't.
"It" is perfect or absolute pitch - a cluster of abilities relating to identifying and recalling musical notes from memory, without hearing another note as a reference.
Why some people have it and others do not is a matter of some controversy. Some researchers believe that it can be taught and that it runs in families not because it is inherited but because musical parents tend to encourage their children to be musical. ...