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In music, tonal memory or "aural recall" is the ability to remember a specific tone after it has been heard.[1] Tonal memory assists with staying in tune and may be developed through ear training. Extensive tonal memory may be recognized as an indication of potential compositional ability.[2]
Tonal memory may be used as a strategy for learning to identify musical tones absolutely. Although those who attempt the strategy believe they are learning absolute pitch, the ability is generally not musically useful,[3] and their absolute tonal memory declines substantially or completely over time if not constantly reinforced.[4]
When listening to music, tones are stored in short-term memory as they are heard. This allows sequences of tones, such as melodies, to be followed and understood. There is evidence that a specialized short-term memory system exists for tones, and that it is distinct from short-term verbal memory.[5]
- ^ Gorow, Ron (2002). Hearing and Writing Music: Professional Training for Today's Musician (2nd Edition). ISBN 978-0-9629496-7-8.
- ^ Haroutounian, Joanne (2002). Kindling the Spark : Recognizing and Developing Musical Talent. ISBN 978-0-19-512948-9.
- ^ Bachem, A. (1940). "The genesis of absolute pitch". Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 11 (4): 434–439. Bibcode:1940ASAJ...11..434B. doi:10.1121/1.1916056.
- ^ Meyer, M. (1899). "Is the memory of absolute pitch capable of development by training?". Psychological Review. 6 (5): 514–516. doi:10.1037/h0069034.Full text
- ^ Deutsch, Diana. "Short Term Memory for Tones". DianaDeutsch. Retrieved 2 May 2017.