Show HN: Teach your kids perfect pitch
Claims that young children can be trained to develop “perfect pitch” using an app that maps chords to colors spark debate over whether absolute pitch is truly teachable — especially after age six — and how useful it actually is. Many musicians argue that relative pitch, harmony, and rhythm matter far more in practice, and that perfect pitch can even become a hindrance when tunings shift, instruments transpose, or hearing changes with age. Others share mixed anecdotal evidence: some report successfully training or discovering absolute pitch later in life, while several with lifelong perfect pitch describe it as impressive but largely a parlor trick with real downsides.
What perfect/absolute pitch is (and isn’t)
- Several commenters argue that “absolute pitch” may just be very stable pitch memory plus relative pitch; others insist it feels qualitatively different (no need to recall a reference).
- Many note that most people have some pitch memory (e.g., singing songs near the original key).
- There’s debate whether using reference sounds like tinnitus or instrument timbre counts as “real” perfect pitch.
Trainability and critical period
- OP’s premise: young children can acquire perfect pitch; adults mostly cannot after ~6 years old.
- Others cite research and personal experience claiming adults can still develop it, though more slowly and via training/memorization.
- Some report discovering or improving perfect pitch in their teens or 20s through solfège and intensive ear training.
- One study is mentioned using psilocybin to reopen learning windows, but no outcomes discussed.
- At least one person who built a similar trainer reports that chord-color training did not straightforwardly generalize to single-note naming.
Pros, cons, and actual usefulness
- Strong view: perfect pitch is largely a “party trick”; relative pitch, harmony understanding, and rhythm are far more useful.
- Others counter that perfect pitch helps with fast transcription, improvisation, tuning fretless instruments, and starting pitches for choirs.
- Several musicians say perfect pitch can hinder transposition, jazz playing, and adapting to transposing instruments.
- Multiple comments describe perfect pitch as sometimes a “curse,” especially when ensembles drift in pitch, when historical tunings differ (A415, A432, A442+), or when DJ mixes change speed.
- Many emphasize that good relative pitch can be trained at any age, though it may require intense, repetitive exercises (interval ID, sight singing).
Aging and pitch drift
- Multiple people with lifelong perfect pitch report systematic drift (often about a semitone) in middle age.
- This mismatch between internal “labeling” and actual frequencies is described as deeply unsettling.
- It’s noted that increased or continued use may partially stabilize accuracy, but drift appears common and its cause is unknown.
Teaching kids and pedagogy
- Some argue against targeting perfect pitch at all, preferring broad musical exposure, play, and good teachers.
- Others think exploiting a developmental window is worthwhile, provided it’s combined with real musical training (instruments, harmony, relative pitch).
- Concern: focusing kids on absolute pitch may impede learning intervals and flexibility across keys.