Perfect Pitch

Also known as Absolute Pitch, the sense that some people possess of the actual pitch of any note heard, or the ability to distinguish and identify any given note without any musical or tonal support. For a musician, having perfect pitch can be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, this gift is a useful tool while sight singing, learning a song, transcribing melodies, music composition, and in many other areas. On the other hand, it can be difficult for musicians who have perfect pitch to enjoy performances when they are played out of tune (even if only a small amount), when a song is played in a different key than its sheet music (or lead sheet) indicates, or even when a given player has less than ideal intonation. True “perfect pitch” is difficult or near impossible to acquire, but to varying degrees there are quite a few musicians who claim and can display the ability.