The ability to capture the pitch corresponding to a fixed frequency is called absolute pitch, and the ability to capture the pitch based on a certain scale is called relative pitch.

　In this study, we conducted an absolute pitch test and a relative pitch test for more than 1,000 music major students in Japan, China, Poland, Germany, and the United States.As a result, the percentage of students with accurate perfect pitch at music colleges was close to 6% in Japan, but much lower in other countries, 1/4 in China and about 1% in Poland.On the other hand, the percentage of students who have an accurate relative pitch at the same music university was more than 1/4 in China and 7% in Poland, but less than 1% in Japan.

　From this result, it was found that Japanese music students have excellent perfect pitch but weak relative pitch, while Western music students have almost no absolute pitch but excellent relative pitch.

　Behind this is the social situation peculiar to Japan and the music education derived from it.Humans do not listen to individual sounds separately, but listen to them in relation to the pitch in the flow of sound.In other words, it can be said that what is really important in music is not the absolute pitch but the relative pitch.However, in Japan, the view that absolute pitch is a musically valuable ability has been widely accepted, and it has become close to the conventional wisdom.

　The results of this study suggest that it is necessary to review the absolute pitch education peculiar to Japan and the distorted relative pitch (solfege) education.

Paper information:[Music Perception] Absolute Pitch and Relative Pitch in Music Students in the East and the West: Implications for Aural-Skills Education