Amusia
Amusia is when a person is unable to tell the difference between musical tones. According to the medical definition, they are also unable to replicate the musical tones they hear. If the cause is related to the brain (the tone deafness is the result of an impairment) for this blog we will refer to that as ‘true amusia’. Often times amusia is called tone deafness. Being tone deaf can cause problems if a person is trying to sing or play an instrument because they may not be able to easily tell if they are off key. Tone deafness is a little different than true amusia in that practice and musical training one can gain a better ability to discern notes apart.
A study titled The Neural Causes of Congenital Amusia concluded that those who suffer from amusia may have a slight impairment to the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. This cortex is an area of the brain responsible for aiding in functions that mostly dealing with attention. True amusia is quite rare as it only afflicts roughly 4% of the population.
So, let’s say someone is tone deaf and not actually suffering from true amusia, what are some things they can do to help stay in tune? If it’s an instrument they can mimic the person playing the song, hand movements, breath, pacing, this all depends on the type of instrument being played. Also, asking someone musically inclined and willing to provide helpful feedback would also be a useful asset. Singing gets a little tricky, however. Learning to match pitches and listening to yourself sing both in real time and in recording can be a tremendous help.
While more research needs to be done regarding the cause and possible treatment of true amusia (currently no treatment exists), many of the symptoms of tone deafness can be reduced or eliminated with practice and training.
If you would like to check out a rather interesting study about the right Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex then click the following link: The Role of the Right Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Phasic Alertness: Evidence from a Contingent Negative Variation and Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study