Effects of using tonality on pitch perception training

In Japan, music education places greater emphasis on Absolute Pitch (AP) than many other countries. However, Relative Pitch (RP) and tonal context perception are essential for practical musicianship as well. Notably, individuals with AP often struggle to acquire advanced RP abilities. This study proposes a training method that incorporates chords to reinforce tonality perception and improve RP abilities. An experiment was conducted with 18 participants: nine with AP and nine without. Two training conditions were compared: one presenting a monophonic melody only, and the other presenting the same melody accompanied by chords. The results showed distinct and statistically significant benefits for each group. Non-AP participants showed greater improvements in pitch recognition accuracy when chords were used compared to the AP group. However, those with AP showed shorter response times under the chord condition compared to the non-AP group. These findings suggest that incorporating tonal context into pitch perception training can enhance its effectiveness.