BSharp: Perfect Pitch Trainer
Young children can acquire absolute (perfect) pitch — but adults cannot. The window closes around age 6. BSharp helps develop this ability using Eguchi's chord identification method.
How it Works
Children listen to piano chords and learn to identify each one by its color. Start with two chords (red and yellow) and gradually introduce new ones as your child masters each level. Practice 5 times a day for 2–3 minutes each session — about 20–25 identifications.
About the Eguchi Method
Eguchi's chord identification method was documented in research published in Psychology of Music. Children associate chords with colors (red, yellow, blue, black, green, orange, purple, pink, brown) and progress through levels. New chords should be introduced no sooner than every 2 weeks, and only after the child can identify all current chords with 100% accuracy.
Based on the open-source CIM Trainer by Paul Ganssle.
Using BSharp
Children listen to a chord and tap the matching colored flag. The app tracks accuracy, adjusts chord frequency using an adaptive weighting algorithm (presenting harder chords more often), and supports multiple user profiles.
Chord progression:
| Level | Color | Chord |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yellow | F/C |
| 2 | Blue | G/B |
| 3 | Black | F/A |
| 4 | Green | G/D |
| 5 | Orange | C/E |
| 6 | Purple | F |
| 7 | Pink | G |
| 8 | Brown | C/G |
After mastering the 9 white-key chords, 5 black-key chords are introduced (Gray, Tan, Light Green, Light Purple, Sky Blue).
Developer
Building
Requires Node.js.
This produces dist/ with the bundled app.
Android
Then open android/ in Android Studio, sync Gradle, and run on a device or emulator.
Attribution
Derived from pganssle/cim by Paul Ganssle. Rebuilt as a separate tool with a distinct name at his request. Licensed under the Apache License 2.0. See NOTICE for details.