Sure, not everyone has pipes like Adele. But we all know people who truly struggle to match and comprehend musical pitch, and they’re usually labeled “tone deaf.” But is tone deafness a real condition? And if so, why are some people tone deaf?
In short, yes, tone deafness is a genuine neurological disorder. It’s called amusia. However, not everyone who lacks musical skills has this condition, which affects an estimated 4% of the population.
Amusia can range in severity, from a mild difficulty in recognizing melodies to a complete inability to distinguish between different musical notes. But what causes this condition? For the majority of sufferers, it’s hereditary, said Isabelle Peretz, a professor of psychology at the University of Montreal who specializes in the neurocognition of music.
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