The belief that absolute pitch (AP) cannot be acquired in adulthood has persisted for over seven decades. This review argues that the unlearnability claim was not established independently, but was sustained in part by a rarity estimate that framed AP prevalence as a fixed biological constant, structurally excluding the possibility of deliberate acquisition. This review traces the construction of both claims, examines the logical and methodological gaps that sustained them, and surveys the growing body of evidence that challenges each. Training studies have demonstrated adult AP acquisition under controlled conditions, while pitch memory and phenotyping research supports the conclusion that AP exists on a measurable continuum and that the perceptual foundation for it may be more common than previously recognized. Implications for music education, auditory neuroscience, and adult perceptual learning are discussed.
Matthew Clower (Wed,) studied this question.