Synesthesia -- the mixing of senses -- and perfect pitch -- auditary recognition of a musical pitch -- are two separate phenomena, ways of experiencing the world. These perceptions have been misunderstood for many years. They have bugged psychologists for ages, and scientific breakthroughs have only been made in the last century. This research can help not only musicians with perfect pitch, but also anybody else who sees the world -- literally -- in a different way. It can also help those who don’t understand their world to see it through their eyes and understand how these people operate.
This thesis, written in a persuasive style, first gives a short history of synesthesia and perfect pitch, what they are, and how they have been studied. It then looks at how those two phenomena interact in the music world. It includes interviews with people who have perfect pitch or synesthesia. It also includes a personal statement and gives a conclusion: synesthesia is mostly genetic, while perfect pitch can come from both genetics and outside influences.
For me, this project is not only a scholarly effort but a process of self-discovery, as I happen to have both perfect pitch and synesthesia. Where do these two come from? Do they interact at all? And how does that relate to me as a person and as a musical composer? I attempt to answer these questions and more within the pages of this thesis.
In addition, as part of my thesis, I created a video that demonstrated synesthesia with music. This video attempt to show what perception is like for those who can see colors when music is played.
","abstract_html":"<p>Synesthesia -- the mixing of senses -- and perfect pitch -- auditary recognition of a musical pitch -- are two separate phenomena, ways of experiencing the world. These perceptions have been misunderstood for many years. They have bugged psychologists for ages, and scientific breakthroughs have only been made in the last century. This research can help not only musicians with perfect pitch, but also anybody else who sees the world -- literally -- in a different way. It can also help those who don’t understand their world to see it through their eyes and understand how these people operate.</p><p>This thesis, written in a persuasive style, first gives a short history of synesthesia and perfect pitch, what they are, and how they have been studied. It then looks at how those two phenomena interact in the music world. It includes interviews with people who have perfect pitch or synesthesia. It also includes a personal statement and gives a conclusion: synesthesia is mostly genetic, while perfect pitch can come from both genetics and outside influences.</p><p>For me, this project is not only a scholarly effort but a process of self-discovery, as I happen to have both perfect pitch and synesthesia. Where do these two come from? Do they interact at all? And how does that relate to me as a person and as a musical composer? I attempt to answer these questions and more within the pages of this thesis.</p><p>In addition, as part of my thesis, I created a video that demonstrated synesthesia with music. This video attempt to show what perception is like for those who can see colors when music is played.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Imes, Emily A."],"institution":"Miami University Honors Theses","degree_name":"Bachelor of Arts","degree_level":"bachelors","degree_discipline":"School of Fine Arts - Music","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Thomas, Robert"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010","date_published":"2010","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:35:52Z","subjects":["Music","synesthesia","absolute pitch"],"languages":["English"],"rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1272046787","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Thomas, Robert"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Imes, Emily A."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2010"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["School of Fine Arts - Music"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["bachelors"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Bachelor of Arts"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Miami University Honors Theses"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Music","synesthesia","absolute pitch"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["English"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1272046787"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Synesthesia -- the mixing of senses -- and perfect pitch -- auditary recognition of a musical pitch -- are two separate phenomena, ways of experiencing the world. These perceptions have been misunderstood for many years. They have bugged psychologists for ages, and scientific breakthroughs have only been made in the last century. This research can help not only musicians with perfect pitch, but also anybody else who sees the world -- literally -- in a different way. It can also help those who don’t understand their world to see it through their eyes and understand how these people operate.
This thesis, written in a persuasive style, first gives a short history of synesthesia and perfect pitch, what they are, and how they have been studied. It then looks at how those two phenomena interact in the music world. It includes interviews with people who have perfect pitch or synesthesia. It also includes a personal statement and gives a conclusion: synesthesia is mostly genetic, while perfect pitch can come from both genetics and outside influences.
For me, this project is not only a scholarly effort but a process of self-discovery, as I happen to have both perfect pitch and synesthesia. Where do these two come from? Do they interact at all? And how does that relate to me as a person and as a musical composer? I attempt to answer these questions and more within the pages of this thesis.
In addition, as part of my thesis, I created a video that demonstrated synesthesia with music. This video attempt to show what perception is like for those who can see colors when music is played.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf","p.36","665.1 KB"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Synesthesia and Perfect Pitch: A Possible Connection?"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Thomas, Robert"],"dc:creator":["Imes, Emily A."],"dc:date":["2010"],"dc:description":["Synesthesia -- the mixing of senses -- and perfect pitch -- auditary recognition of a musical pitch -- are two separate phenomena, ways of experiencing the world. These perceptions have been misunderstood for many years. They have bugged psychologists for ages, and scientific breakthroughs have only been made in the last century. This research can help not only musicians with perfect pitch, but also anybody else who sees the world -- literally -- in a different way. It can also help those who don’t understand their world to see it through their eyes and understand how these people operate.
This thesis, written in a persuasive style, first gives a short history of synesthesia and perfect pitch, what they are, and how they have been studied. It then looks at how those two phenomena interact in the music world. It includes interviews with people who have perfect pitch or synesthesia. It also includes a personal statement and gives a conclusion: synesthesia is mostly genetic, while perfect pitch can come from both genetics and outside influences.
For me, this project is not only a scholarly effort but a process of self-discovery, as I happen to have both perfect pitch and synesthesia. Where do these two come from? Do they interact at all? And how does that relate to me as a person and as a musical composer? I attempt to answer these questions and more within the pages of this thesis.
In addition, as part of my thesis, I created a video that demonstrated synesthesia with music. This video attempt to show what perception is like for those who can see colors when music is played.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf","p.36","665.1 KB"],"dc:identifier":["http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=muhonors1272046787"],"dc:language":["English"],"dc:publisher":["Miami University Honors Theses / OhioLINK"],"dc:rights":["unrestricted","This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws."],"dc:subject":["Music","synesthesia","absolute pitch"],"dc:title":["Synesthesia and Perfect Pitch: A Possible Connection?"],"dc:type":["Electronic Thesis or Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["School of Fine Arts - Music"],"thesis:degree_level":["bachelors"],"thesis:degree_name":["Bachelor of Arts"],"thesis:institution_name":["Miami University Honors Theses"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:35:52Z"}