📅 HISTORICAL 2014

🎹 Acquiring Absolute Pitch: The Chord Identification Method

⚠️ Historical Study (2014): This longitudinal study documented successful AP training in young children (age 3+) using the "chord identification method" at Japanese music schools. While it demonstrates high AP prevalence through early training, the study's focus on childhood acquisition predates recent research (Wong et al. 2025, Bongiovanni et al. 2023) showing that adults can also develop functional AP through targeted training protocols.

📋 Study Overview

Title:

A longitudinal study of the process of acquiring absolute pitch: A practical report of training with the 'chord identification method'

Author:

Ayako Sakakibara (Ichionkai Music School, Tokyo, Japan)

Published:

Psychology of Music, 2014; 42(1):86-111

DOI:

10.1177/0305735612463948

🎯 Research Question

Can all children develop absolute pitch if they begin structured training at an early age (around 3 years old) using the "chord identification method"?

Japan has notably high AP prevalence among music students (up to 70%+), often attributed to early music education methods like the Yamaha system. Sakakibara investigated whether a specific training protocol — the chord identification method — could systematically produce AP in young children.

🔬 Methodology

Participants

  • Longitudinal cohort: Children enrolled at Ichionkai Music School in Tokyo
  • Age range: Starting from age 3 (critical period for language and pitch perception)
  • Training duration: Followed over multiple years
  • Compliance requirement: Only children who strictly followed the training protocol were included in analysis

The "Chord Identification Method"

  • Step 1: Children learn to identify single pitches by sound (e.g., "C", "G")
  • Step 2: Progress to identifying chords (e.g., "C major", "F major")
  • Step 3: Identify chord progressions and harmonic sequences
  • Rationale: Chord identification provides richer harmonic context than single-note drills, potentially aiding pitch-to-label association
  • Integration: Combined with solfège, ear training, and keyboard practice

Assessment

  • Periodic pitch identification tests (single notes without reference)
  • Accuracy criteria: Correct identification of all 12 chromatic pitches
  • Longitudinal tracking of AP development over time

📊 Key Findings

1. Near-Universal AP Acquisition

Main finding: All children who began lessons at age 3 and strictly followed the chord identification method successfully developed AP.

  • 100% success rate among compliant participants
  • AP typically emerged within 2-3 years of training
  • Skills remained stable and robust over time

2. Age 3 as Optimal Starting Point

Children who started at age 3 showed faster AP acquisition compared to those who started later (ages 4-6).

  • Aligns with critical period hypothesis for pitch-language integration
  • Earlier training = more efficient learning
  • But AP was still achievable for children starting up to age 6

3. Chord Context Facilitates Learning

The chord identification approach appeared more effective than single-note drills alone, possibly because:

  • Harmonic context provides multiple pitch cues simultaneously
  • Engages both pitch perception and harmonic understanding
  • More engaging and musically meaningful for young children

💡 Main Conclusions

"All children who had begun lessons at 3 years of age and had strictly followed instructions in the 'chord identification method' successfully developed absolute pitch." — Sakakibara, 2014

Key Implications:

  • AP is trainable: With proper methodology starting at age 3, AP acquisition may be near-universal
  • Structured protocol matters: The chord identification method provides a systematic pathway to AP
  • Japanese context: Helps explain why AP prevalence in Japan (70%+) far exceeds Western countries (1-10%)
  • Environmental > genetic: High success rate suggests environmental factors (training) dominate over genetic predisposition

⚠️ Limitations & Context

Study Limitations

  • Selection bias: Only compliant children included; dropout rate unknown
  • Single school setting: Results may not generalize to other teaching contexts
  • No control group: Cannot isolate the specific contribution of chord identification vs. other aspects of training
  • Childhood-only: Does not test whether adults can develop AP with same method
  • Cultural factors: Japanese language (pitch accent) and cultural emphasis on music may contribute beyond training method alone

Historical Context (2014 vs 2020s)

📖 What Has Changed Since 2014:
This study reinforced the view that early training (age 3-6) is optimal for AP development. At the time, adult AP training was considered largely impossible. However, recent studies (Wong et al. 2025, Bongiovanni et al. 2023) have shown that adults can develop functional AP through targeted training, achieving 90%+ accuracy in 8 weeks. This suggests that while early training may be more efficient, the window for AP acquisition is not as narrow as 2014 research implied. Future research could test whether the "chord identification method" also works for adults.

🔗 Related Research

  • Cross-cultural evidence: Deutsch et al. (2006) - Chinese students showed 60% AP prevalence (tone language + early training)
  • Earlier work by Sakakibara: Sakakibara (1999, 2004) - examined critical period and training age effects in Japanese children
  • Adult trainability: Bongiovanni et al. (2023) and Wong et al. (2025) - adults achieved functional AP in 8 weeks
  • Brain plasticity: Van Hedger et al. (2013) - AP categories can shift with experience, suggesting plasticity beyond childhood

📖 Access Full Study

📄 Read Full Study (ResearchGate)

Alternative access: SAGE Journals | DOI: 10.1177/0305735612463948

📚 Full Citation

Sakakibara, A. (2014). A longitudinal study of the process of acquiring absolute pitch: A practical report of training with the 'chord identification method'. Psychology of Music, 42(1), 86–111. https://doi.org/10.1177/0305735612463948