Some time ago, I poked fun at my buddy Cliff’s obsession with Karaoke. I even told stories of my own Karaoke adventures, few that they may be, and announced to the world (or at least, to the millions of people who read this site) that I was tone deaf.
Well, it turns out I’m not, at least, not in a medical sense.
As reader Cam Elyria tells me, tone deafness is actually a medical condition — its official name is Amusia — and that less than 2% of the world’s population are affected by it. The condition is usually caused by physical defects, such as brain damage or an ear injury, although there are cases of genetically tone deaf people. I was able to verify all of these facts with Wikipedia.
Of course, socially, the term “tone deaf” gets thrown around to describe anyone who can’t carry a tune, or more precisely, control the pitch of their voice. Its not a physical ailment, but the result of a person who hasn’t been properly trained to sing within their vocal range and is trying to sing a song in an octave they just can’t handle.