

Perfect Pitch.... in a pill?

Discussion in 'Miscellaneous [BG]' started by LakeEffect, Jan 9, 2014.

  1. LakeEffect

    LakeEffect Supporting Member

    Feb 21, 2013
    I have no personal take on this, I am not versed in the science behind these things, but I wanted to throw it out there - have a look...

    "Want Perfect Pitch? You Might Be Able To Pop A Pill For That: Hensch is studying a drug which might allow adults to learn perfect pitch by re-creating this critical period in brain development. Hensch says the drug, valprioc acid, allows the brain to absorb new information as easily as it did before age 7."

  2. Brain plasticity restoration? Wow.
    That's some pretty hardcore science right there.
    That's great for learning everything you would learn when young too, like language. But, that's already stated.
    I somehow doubt that this stuff will be readily available for a while though. :meh:
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  4. LakeEffect

    LakeEffect Supporting Member

    Feb 21, 2013
    Yeah, its a pretty wild concept, definitely will be keeping an eye on any developments.
  5. pfox14


    Dec 22, 2013
    Yeah, and if pigs could fly....
  6. rapidfirerob

    rapidfirerob Fusion rules! Supporting Member

    When they develop perfect tempo for drummers, I'll purchase some. :)
  7. Gaolee

    Gaolee The Fat Violin Supporting Member

    Jan 13, 2010
    All the attempts I ever made to rewire or melt my brain left me feeling really bad the next morning. Just saying.
  8. Ed Fuqua

    Ed Fuqua

    Dec 13, 1999
    Read closely, it doesn't give you perfect pitch, it just reopens pathways that aid in pitch recognition if you work on it. In talking with folks I know in music education at the university/conservatory level, they see a lot of students coming in with perfect pitch. But they have to do the same ear training work as the students who don't have PP when it comes to recognizing chord function, what harmony a melodic line is implying etc.
    It's like looking at a painting and being able to accurately describe the different primary colors that went into make up the blues, the reds, the browns, the whites, etc. But not being able to see that it's a painting of a sailboat.
  9. rapidfirerob

    rapidfirerob Fusion rules! Supporting Member

  10. LakeEffect

    LakeEffect Supporting Member

    Feb 21, 2013
    This is exactly right, I think most people are reading the title of the post and commenting, nothing new here haha.
  11. neurotictim

    neurotictim Supporting Member

    Jan 2, 2008
    Norfolk, Virginia
    I heard about this on NPR the other day. Seems really, REALLY cool - not just for music, but other languages, new skills, and more importantly (IMO) as a tool to help people get BACK skills that they lost due to stroke/illness/etc.

    EDIT: It IS something new, though - we've long known that learning is easier when you're younger. It's not a pill that creates perfect pitch, or some sort of "Babelfish in a pill" - it just restores your physiological ability to learn back to the way it was when you were very young.

    IIRC, the piece on NPR said this was something that could be groundbreaking, but certainly won't be available for human consumption for looooong time. I wanna say they were *hoping* to develop it enough and make it safe enough for use in the next 50 or so years!
  12. JFOC


    Oct 23, 2010
    The Shire
  13. T-MOST

    T-MOST Supporting Member

    Dec 10, 2004
    NJ via NYC
    Two words... Snake oil!
  14. It's not only the chemical receptivity of the brains of children that give them the capacity for rapid learning, it's also the fact that they have a LOT more neurons and probably some other physical attributes. The are soooo many extra neurons that get pared down when not being used. Once they are gone it's hard to get them back, or so I've read.:meh:
  15. ficsci


    Sep 3, 2012
    Interesting, I've actually been watching those TEDx neuroscience lectures about how your brain (yes, normal adult brains) are actually more malleable than we think. So maybe, with a right exercise, we can learn perfect pitch without a pill (?)


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