No such thing as perfect pitch

1. Is there such a thing as perfect pitch?
2. Is it bad to not have perfect pitch?
3. Why don't we all have perfect pitch?
4. Is having perfect pitch rare?

Is there such a thing as perfect pitch?

Absolute pitch, commonly known as “perfect pitch,” is the ability to identify a note by hearing it. The ability is considered remarkably rare, estimated to be less than one in 10,000 individuals. ... The new study shows that people without absolute pitch have the ability to learn notes quickly as well.

Is it bad to not have perfect pitch?

You also don't need perfect pitch to have a “good ear.” Many people have profound relative pitch, the ability to identify pitches of notes based on a reference note. ... To put it simply, perfect pitch is useful but not necessary, and people without it can be as talented, if not even more, than those who have it.

Why don't we all have perfect pitch?

Maybe people were born with the type of brain that would consider absolute pitch an unimportant ability. Then the brain had no reason to develop the ability to recall the absolute pitch of something many hours later. The brain would temporarily store the memory and use that to develop a sense of relative pitch.

Is having perfect pitch rare?

How rare is perfect pitch? Out of every 10,000 people, only between 1 to 5 of them will have perfect pitch. Out of every 10,000 musicians, however, between 100 and 1100 (that's 1-11%) may have the gift. Perfect pitch is also observed to run in families, which suggests it's at least partially genetic.