About Amusia

Tone-deafness

Amusia, also called tone-deafness, is a neurological impairment where the brain can't process the pitch (frequency) of musical sounds and how two or more sounds relate to each other.

People with amusia can usually sing a sound but they can't match it to a note given to them by another singer or a musical instrument. This skill is called pitch matching, singing in unison, or singing the right note.

In perhaps one attempt in fifty they might actually sing the right note by chance but they still might not be able to tell if they have the right note or not. Being able to identify if it's the right note or not is an aural, ear training, or musicianship skill (aural is pronounced 'awe-roll,' and it's an awesome skill).

Studies show up to 4% of adults have amusia.

Being able to sing in tune (sing the right notes) requires a combination of skills. People with amusia lack at least one of these skills, but they can develop them with the right training.

SURPRISING  TRUTHS

Many amusic people make a very nice, healthy sound and have very good singing voices. They just can't get the right note.

People with amusia usually have no other problem from this condition; they just can't sing in tune.

MYTHS about AMUSIA

"Amusics just need more confidence;" "They just need more time or more practice;" "People with amusia are not interested in music." NONE OF THIS IS TRUE.

PEOPLE with WEAK PITCH

Many people have a weak sense of pitch that might not be amusia (people with amusia have almost NO sense of pitch). They may need a teacher, such as myself, to work out if they have amusia or not.

Over several decades I've had many people contact me looking for singing lessons who said, or had been told, they were tone-deaf. I told them that's no problem for me because I can teach them either way. Nine out of ten people who said this did not have amusia at all. Some had weak pitch, and some had excellent pitch but still thought they were tone-deaf.

The EXPERIENCE of people with AMUSIA

Sadly, many people in childhood have been told not to sing, or to simply move their lips or mime in the school choir. They may have been called a 'tone-deaf drone,' or a 'monotone,' or an 'amusic.' All these terms are inaccurate descriptions and offensive labels. So far the best terms are 'person with amusia,' or 'person with tone-deafness.'

From my blog post in 2018:

...suppose a child proudly rocks up to the first choir try-out having been told ‘everyone can sing’ only to discover they seem to be the one person in the whole world (or school) who actually can’t. For a rare few no amount of relaxing, jumping, yelling, deep breathing, sirening, shouting or confidence boosting makes any difference. One can only imagine the psychological damage this could do to children.

Read The Many Benefits of Learning to Hold a Tune

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