Pitch and plasticity: insights from the pitch matching of chords by musicians with absolute and relative pitch.

Neil M Mclachlan,David J T Marco,Sarah J Wilson

doi:10.3390/brainsci3041615

Abstract

Absolute pitch (AP) is a form of sound recognition in which musical note names are associated with discrete musical pitch categories. The accuracy of pitch matching by non-AP musicians for chords has recently been shown to depend on stimulus familiarity, pointing to a role of spectral recognition mechanisms in the early stages of pitch processing. Here we show that pitch matching accuracy by AP musicians was also dependent on their familiarity with the chord stimulus. This suggests that the pitch matching abilities of both AP and non-AP musicians for concurrently presented pitches are dependent on initial recognition of the chord. The dual mechanism model of pitch perception previously proposed by the authors suggests that spectral processing associated with sound recognition primes waveform processing to extract stimulus periodicity and refine pitch perception. The findings presented in this paper are consistent with the dual mechanism model of pitch, and in the case of AP musicians, the formation of nominal pitch categories based on both spectral and periodicity information.

Highlights

A small percentage of people possess absolute pitch (AP), or the ability to identify single pitches using musical note names without a reference pitch [1]
The finding that chord familiarity affects the ability of AP musicians to match concurrent pitches is consistent with the dual mechanism model of pitch processing in which the chord itself must be recognized prior to the processing of individual component pitches. This points to various pathways, by which sound recognition mechanisms may interact with pitch processing
The finding that pitch matching accuracy is better for the highest pitch of chords across all musician groups suggests that sub-cortical spectral recognition mechanisms may consistently prime the integration of periodicity information at the highest pitch of chords

Summary

Introduction

A small percentage of people possess absolute pitch (AP), or the ability to identify single pitches using musical note names without a reference pitch [1]. Pitch height was believed to correspond to the region of maximum excitation on the basilar membrane of the cochlea [7]. These models could not explain the perception of a virtual pitch at the fundamental frequency of harmonic complexes when this tone component was absent from the stimulus. Temporal processing models were initially based on autocorrelation functions that identify the period of the waveform [11], and could explain virtual pitch perception as a sub-harmonic response in autocorrelation functions when summed over the outputs of multiple auditory filter channels [12]. Computation of inter-spike time delays on the auditory nerve produces autocorrelation like behaviors that were initially thought to be able to explain pitch perception [13], later periodicity models were based on tightly tuned neural responses to periodicity in the inferior colliculus [14,15]

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Results

Discussion

Conclusion