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From: bcase@amdcad.UUCP (Brian Case)
Newsgroups: sci.med
Subject: Re: tone deafness?
Message-ID: <13735@amdcad.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Nov-86 12:46:32 EST
Article-I.D.: amdcad.13735
Posted: Wed Nov 12 12:46:32 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 12-Nov-86 21:56:03 EST
References: <2376@bu-cs.bu-cs.BU.EDU> <3808@columbia.UUCP>
Reply-To: bcase@amdcad.UUCP (Brian Case)
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Organization: Advanced Micro Devices, Sunnyvale, California
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In article <3808@columbia.UUCP> zdenek@heathcliff.columbia.edu.UUCP (Zdenek Radouch) writes:
>   I'm convinced that the mechanism of absolute pitch is not understood.
>As a result of having done some work in acoustics and being an amateur
>musician for many years I know, that the ability to distinguish high and
>low frequencies depends on training.

Hmmm, I was singing at age 3, rather on pitch I might add (Lemon Tree was
one of my favorite songs).  I don't think I had much training.  I, for
one, believe that musical ability (perhaps aptitiude is a better term),
like athletic ability (aptitude), is inherited.  Now, one can certainly
choose to leave that aptitude undeveloped, but the ability to distinguish
between high and low frequencies is one that will almost certainly make
itself apparent because of the pervasiveness of music in modern life.

What I am curious about is why music is appealing to those people who
really are tone deaf!  Maybe being tone deaf doesn't necessarily mean
that one is harmony deaf?

Wait, what group is this again?  Oh, sci.med, maybe I am a little off the
track now....