For Amusia

Finding out that I had amusia made a big difference to my life and I talk about some aspects of this in an article here . The point of the article is that I am thankful to know that my inability to carry a tune or learn a musical instrument is not due to laziness, sloth, or weakness of character. Those are qualities that are routinely ascribed to people with amusia. Here's some more of what I said: I’m sure I could write a whole chapter about how much it hurt to suffer those accusations, the self-recrimination and doubt that it induced. I know I could have done without the castigation of teachers who were sure I could learn to play the recorder – a rite of passage in English schools of the 1950s and 60s – if only I would apply myself. Then there’s the chapter on how frustrating it was to grow up in the sixties with a strong poetic streak but no ability to voice the songs I composed, not to mention fruitless hours failing to learn guitar. Sure, I could pose for the album cover, ...

Congenital amusia | Brain | Oxford Academic : In this 2002 study, "a research effort has been made to document in detail the behavioural manifestations of congenital amusia."

Difficulties with Pitch Discrimination Influences Pitch Memory Performance: Evidence from Congenital Amusia : "This study examined whether or not the difficulty of pitch discrimination influences pitch retention by testing individuals with congenital amusia."

The idea that lack of musical ability comes from lack of effort on the part of the tone deaf individual persists in some circles, including those who earn income from singing lessons. Congenital Amusia Disorder? Really?? Please.... - Singing From Scratch : Here we have a singing coach, Michael Graves, who does not accept that congential amusia is a thing: "I do not believe in the permanency of tone deafness. I believe that it is a low level of proficiency that can be overcome, not a condition." This is a great example of the attitude I have dealt with all my life: all I need to do to overcome my tin ear is to do the work. Here is the worldview that leads to that conclusion: "The only purpose most disorder labels serve is to provide the “afflicted” an easy path away from persistence and success and towards failure and acceptance." This outlook is often sustained through wilful ignorance of scientific research and twisted logic, for example: we don't know wh...

Not sure if we have blogged this before, but the test is worth taking. Note that it takes about 20 minutes, but we think it is time well spent: Brams Online test : "This test has been designed for people with little or no formal musical training; anyone interested can thus take the test."

According to new research in the journal Nature Neuroscience: "What sounds like music to us may just be noise to a macaque monkey." Apparently, "a monkey's brain appears to lack critical circuits that are highly sensitive to a sound's pitch." Human Brains Are Sensitive To Musical Pitch, Unlike Those Of Monkeys : Shots - Health News : NPR One of the lead researchers  Sam Norman-Haignere , has also done work on amusia, like this:  Pitch-responsive cortical regions in congenital amusia (.pdf). I have emailed Sam to see if he needs more research subjects.

This study "investigated the impact of congenital amusia, a disorder of musical processing, on speech and song imitation in speakers of a tone language, Mandarin." Individuals with congenital amusia imitate pitches more accurately in singing than in speaking: Implications for music and language processing | SpringerLink :

Amusia — SYNC PROJECT : "there are individuals in whom the mechanisms function in a way that even normal processing of musical sounds is not possible...called tone-deafness or amusia, typically affecting around 4 % of the population."

Unfortunately, this article costs over $50, but it does address "the work that has been done concerning singing among nonmusicians, focusing on pitch accuracy, which is one of the most important aspects of singing." Will review it if we manage to get a copy. Perception and action in singing - ScienceDirect

This very detailed look at the brain as it processes pitch does not address amusia directly, but it may be of interest to amusiacs looking to learning more about how our brains handle music: Pitch Processing Sites in the Human Auditory Brain

Here is the study that puts amusia at 1.5% of population, not the more commonly cited 4%. It does look like a solid study and I appreciate the point noted below; if there's one thing more frustrating than not being able to sing, it's being told that the reason for this is "you're not trying hard enough". Prevalence of congenital amusia. - PubMed - NCBI : "the deficit is not attenuated by musical training"

Another article that glosses over the obstacles that congenital amusiacs face. Why not direct people to a suitable test so they can benchmark their ability ? Also, the 1.5% figure cited might be low. Can anyone learn to sing? For most of us, the answer is yes : "Do you have a pair of vocal folds that can produce sound? Can you tell the difference between a higher note and a lower note? Good news! You and about 98.5% of the population absolutely can be taught how to sing."