Unable to recognise rhythm or pitch: this is amusia

Not being able to recognise a well-known melody without the lyrics, not hearing whether someone is singing out of tune and not being able to produce a rhythm; for some people musicality is not their strongest point. For a small section of the population, this inability goes very far: they suffer from the disorder congenital amusia. PhD candidate Jasmin Pfeifer conducted research into this relatively under-researched phenomenon and the effect it has on the perception of spoken language. Congenital amusia is an innate perceptual disorder: people with amusia have difficulty perceiving pitch and rhythm throughout their lives. The symptoms of the so-called 'amusics' are clearest in relation to music, but can also have an impact on their perception of spoken language. Amusia is assessed using a scale test: there is not one type. 'People can have a problem recognising rhythm, pitch, or both', says Pfeifer.