Document Type
Honors Project
Abstract
Absolute pitch (AP), colloquially known as “perfect pitch,” is the ability to identify or recreate any musical note without an external reference tone. While many believe AP is an exceptional, innate musical talent, I argue that AP is a continuous ability influenced by experience. Using a mixed-methods approach that combined behavioral tasks with interviews, I examined AP memory in AP possessors and non-possessors with varying musical backgrounds to understand how experience-based factors, such as language, primary instrument, and the onset and style of musical training, might influence individual performance on established AP measures.
Recommended Citation
Guzman, Mia A., "Influences of Musical Experience on Absolute Pitch Memory" (2026). Music Honors Projects. 21.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/musi_honors/21
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