Education for Absolute Pitch: A New Way to Learn Piano by Naoyuki and Ruth Taneda, translated by Christopher Aruffo, 5/5

For several years, I sang in a choir with a tenor who had perfect pitch and, while I might have mentally referred to him by the not-awe-inspiring moniker “the human pitch pipe,” there was something undeniably god-like and enviable about his ability to pull any note out of thin air. I was very surprised to learn, many years later, that children between the ages of 3 and 4.5 years old can actually be taught this magical ability! What at first sounds “too good to be true” is soon clarified by this handbook, which lays out the intense, consistent, and long-term practice required in the pursuit of absolute pitch.

The German We Hear and Play method that this book outlines combines ear training (via “games” played with stuffed animals and colored balls) and rhythmic training with a meticulous piano curriculum. As a piano teacher with more than 20 years of experience, I do not find this method’s highly structured, color coordinated and extremely slow-moving approach to be very appealing. However, I am used to starting students at 6 years old and without focusing on ear training, so it makes sense that some concessions must be made for much younger children acquiring the skill of perfect pitch in conjunction with piano skills. I am cautiously optimistic about trying this method with my own toddler!

Why I read it: I believe I encountered the We Hear and Play method on translator Christopher Aruffo’s website, while looking for software that would teach perfect pitch to adults. The We Hear and Play website does not appear to have been updated recently, but I did reach out to Aruffo, who assured me immediately that it is still very much functional, while kindly offering additional help and resources.