IF YOUR singing sends people scurrying to find earplugs, blame your
ancestors. According to a study of musically gifted and tone-deaf twins, your
ability to judge pitch is largely determined by your genes.
Tim Spector of St Thomas’ Hospital in London and his colleagues hoped to find
out whether early musical experiences or genes determine people’s ability to
judge whether a melody is being played in tune. “I guessed there would be a
small genetic component, but that environment—say having a family
environment where music was always played—would be a greater factor,” says
Spector.
To test this, his…
