Matching a Musical Pitch

Matching a musical pitch involves an intricate coordination of several tasks within the brain:

 1.     When the brain hears a sound, especially if this occurs in the brain of a singer or someone who whistles, it first identifies the pitch.

 2.     Next it makes a decision about which vocal muscles must work together to reproduce that sound with an accurate pitch.

 3.     After singing or whistling the note related to that pitch, the brain evaluates whether or not the pitches match.

 4.     If yes, good. If not, the brain adjusts the vocal muscles as required.

The earlier a brain begins studying music, the more likely it is that it will match a heard music pitch accurately. One report I saw indicated that perhaps 529 genetic markers are associated with this ability. It is a complex process! You may want to google this yourself and stimulate your brain during the process.