> The perception of perfect pitch as this magical, unattainable thing always seemed odd to me
Because it is really magical and unattainable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Cb1qwCUvI
Show me an adult that trained to this level.
Because it is really magical and unattainable https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3Cb1qwCUvI
Show me an adult that trained to this level.
Also, I know from my own experience that the idea that this is an innate skill is bunk—my wife's mother taught her children absolute pitch through deliberate training. Sing a note to them, they identify it, they check themselves on the piano. Repeat.
No one in any prior generations had the skill, nor do any of the cousins. Just the kids my wife's mom trained.
I'm sure like most skills it's one that is easier to pick up in childhood than later, but it's not some musical innate ability that you either have or lack, it is trained.
So you heard a word "test", then looked at a link that says "ear training" (and leads to a page that says "improving your __relative__ pitch") and decided that this 8yo went through the training and got this perfect pitch? Is that what you're saying?
And yes, he's 100% implying that this boy practiced to get there. He's not saying that he's going to be able to train any random person to get there with an online course, but he's 100% saying that this boy practiced the skill.
Beato's explanation is that his son was exposed to a lot of different music since the age 0 and at some age they noticed that he associates sounds like "hey, microwave sounds like star wars". Nobody drilled sine waves 5 hours a day. His whole point is that you need to immerse children into the world of tones, that will train to "see" them.
> Because it is really magical and unattainable
If it's unattainable, how can you also embrace the idea that there's a path to attaining it (immerse children in the world of tones)?
If this latest reply reflects your actual opinion then we don't actually disagree. No one said anything about drilling sine waves besides you.
> No one said anything about drilling sine waves besides you
Hey, maybe you forgot, somebody trained their kids not long ago, doing this lol.
Nevertheless, my initial point was that for now it's close to magic. Some, 1 in 10000, people are blessed to have this additional sense (at least for the first 40-ish years of their life), and others are not. It's a subjective perception of the thing indeed. If that doesn't awe you – well, ok, it doesn't hurt anybody. After all, every beautiful sunset is just you rotated away from a ball of plasma.