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Study shows even adults can achieve a level of musical mastery in just 8 weeks
In a nutshell
- A study challenges the long-held belief that perfect pitch can only be learned in childhood, showing that adult musicians can significantly improve their pitch recognition abilities through dedicated training
- After just 8 weeks of structured training, participants more than doubled their pitch identification accuracy, with two adult learners achieving accuracy rates approaching those of natural perfect pitch possessors
- The findings suggest that the brain remains more flexible throughout adulthood than previously thought, though developing perfect pitch still requires significant dedication – participants completed an average of 15,327 practice trials over 21.4 hours
SURREY, England — For decades, conventional wisdom held that acquiring absolute pitch as an adult was impossible. But a new study suggests otherwise, showing that with structured training, adult musicians can significantly improve their ability to identify musical notes—challenging long-standing assumptions about critical periods in musical development.
Absolute pitch (AP), commonly known as “perfect pitch,” is the rare ability to name a musical note without a reference tone—like instantly recognizing that the first note of “Happy Birthday” is a G. It has traditionally been considered an inborn trait, requiring both a genetic predisposition and intensive early childhood musical training.
Researchers at the University of Surrey and The Chinese University of Hong Kong designed an 8-week computerized training program to test whether adult musicians could develop AP-like abilities. The results, published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, suggest that, with enough structured practice, adults can learn to recognize musical pitches with a high degree of accuracy—something long thought impossible past childhood.
Pitch Perfection
A group of 12 adult musicians (aged 19–44) completed the rigorous training program. These were not beginners; all had passed at least Grade 6 in recognized music exams. The group included both tonal language speakers (e.g., Cantonese) and non-tonal language speakers (e.g., English and German).
Participants trained using a structured system that required them to rapidly identify piano tones by name. The program gradually increased in difficulty, introducing stricter time limits and accuracy requirements while preventing the use of relative pitch strategies.
Before training, participants correctly identified only about 14% of pitches. By the end of the program, their accuracy more than doubled to nearly 32%, an improvement of 128.1%. Perhaps most strikingly, two participants—a native Hebrew speaker who started music at age 24 and a native Cantonese speaker—achieved accuracy rates of 89% and 78%, respectively. Their performance approached levels reported in previous studies of lifelong AP possessors.
In addition to accuracy, the training improved the speed and precision of pitch identification. The average error in pitch naming decreased by 42.7%, and participants could identify notes within about 2–3 seconds—a response time comparable to some individuals born with AP.
“Our findings provide compelling evidence that absolute pitch is not limited to a select few. With focused training, adults can acquire this remarkable skill, much like how they learn other complex cognitive skills,” said Dr. Yetta Wong, principal investigator and lecturer and the University of Surrey, in a statement.
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Breaking the Critical Period Barrier?
A landmark 1940 paper claimed that no “convincing success” had ever been observed in teaching absolute pitch to adults, leading to the widespread belief that AP could only develop during a critical period in childhood. The new study challenges that notion, providing systematic evidence that at least some aspects of AP learning remain possible in adulthood.
However, the researchers acknowledge that their study doesn’t prove that all adults can develop “true” absolute pitch. Some participants progressed more than others, and there was a high dropout rate—only 12 out of 48 completed the full program. Furthermore, while two participants achieved near-perfect accuracy, others improved but did not reach the level of natural AP possessors.
It’s Never Too Late to Become a Musician
For aspiring musicians, these findings offer hope. While developing AP likely remains easier in childhood, this study suggests that with dedicated training—about 20 hours spread across eight weeks—adults can significantly enhance their pitch perception skills. This could have practical applications for music education, helping musicians refine their auditory precision.
“This research has significant implications for our understanding of musical cognition and learning and opens doors for musicians of all ages to explore and develop their musicality to its fullest potential,”said co-author Dr. Alan Wong, a senior lecturer at Surrey’s School of Psychology.
Yet, as one participant demonstrated by using relative pitch strategies to “game” the training system—only to struggle in the final test—there are no shortcuts to genuine absolute pitch. If you want to develop true pitch recognition, you’ll have to put in the work.
Paper Summary
Methodology
The study’s training program used a sophisticated approach:
- Participants listened to piano tones and selected the correct pitch name within a set time limit.
- The program started with just one pitch (F) and gradually added more as participants demonstrated mastery.
- To prevent relative pitch strategies, “out-of-bounds” tones were introduced, and successive tones were more than an octave apart.
- The training included multiple accuracy thresholds and time-based challenges to ensure genuine pitch learning.
Results
- Accuracy more than doubled from 13.9% to 31.7% (a 128.1% improvement).
- Pitch-naming errors dropped by 42.7% (from 2.62 to 1.50 semitones).
- Two participants achieved 89% and 78% accuracy, approaching AP-level performance.
- The ability partially transferred to an untrained instrument (guitar), indicating generalization of learning.
Limitations
- High attrition: Only 12 of 48 participants completed the training.
- All participants were trained musicians, so results may not apply to non-musicians.
- Training lasted only 8 weeks—longer training might yield greater improvements.
Discussion and Takeaways
This study doesn’t prove that any adult can develop perfect pitch to the level of a lifelong AP possessor, but it does offer compelling evidence that pitch identification skills can be significantly improved in adulthood. Rather than being completely constrained by early-life critical periods, the brain’s ability to develop sophisticated perceptual skills may be more flexible than previously assumed.
For musicians willing to dedicate time and effort, this research suggests that absolute pitch isn’t necessarily off-limits—it just takes work.
Funding and Disclosures
The research received no specific grants from public, commercial, or non-profit funding agencies. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
Publication Information
Published in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review (2025), this study was conducted by researchers from the University of Surrey, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Surrey Institute for People-Centered AI. The paper was published February 12, 2025.
