Ear is the name given to the organ whose function is to allow a person or an animal to hear. It is usually divided into inner, middle and outer ear in order to facilitate analysis.
In the ear there are various nerves, membranes and cells that make it possible to perceive sounds and that also have great importance in the balance of the individual. The ear is responsible for capturing the waves that arrive as energy, converting them into sound and sending them to the brain so that the information can be processed and interpreted.
By extension to the functioning of this organ, the sense of hearing and the ability or talent of a person to recognize and interpret melodies or songs is known as ear. For example: “I seem to have hearing problems: lately I can't hear very well” , “If my hearing is correct, I think they rang the bell” , “Juan has a great ear: he can play songs on the guitar after having them heard once or twice . "
The concept of hearing is also included in various popular phrases and expressions, generally linked to hearing. If a person asks another to "open his ears" , what he is really asking is to pay attention to what he is about to say: "Open your ears wide because I will not repeat it . "
"Lending an ear" , on the other hand, is associated with being willing to provide support to a subject and listen to their problems: "Thank you for always lending me an ear, sometimes I need to unburden myself with someone . "
Absolute hearing
The ability to identify musical notes by name without the need for a reference note, or to play any note with the voice without the aid of another instrument, is known as absolute pitch . It is an ability that is related to auditory memory, that is, to retain the characteristics of sounds.In general, people with absolute pitch are able to carry out all or some of the following actions: say the name of the key of a certain musical composition just by listening to it; identify the notes that sound in your environment on a daily basis, such as those present in car horns or squeaking doors; play a song you've never played or read before, simply by listening to it once.
The psychologist Daniel Levitin and the musicologist Richard Parncutt described two types of absolute pitch:
* passive: individuals with passive absolute pitch can identify both the individual notes and the tonality of a given piece, provided they have the necessary level of musical training. It is worth mentioning that the percentage of people with this ability among savants and autists is one in twenty. Also, this type of absolute pitch is normal among those who suffer from Williams Syndrome;
* active: in addition to the abilities contemplated by passive absolute pitch, active adds the possibility of singing any note without the reference of an instrument. It is important to note that not all individuals with this capacity have musical training, so many never become aware of their own potential.
On the other hand, there is very fine absolute pitch, which includes the ability to detect slight detunings in sounds; for example, a person with this ability can tell if a note sounds higher or lower than it should, even if it is a slight difference. These are very rare cases that require advanced musical studies, since they rely on technical knowledge and the handling of notions such as the common tuning system (which is based on the la4 and vibrates at 440Hz).