[Receptive musical aptitude using a binaural frequency discrimination test]

Musical aptitude is the most important precondition for any applicant taking up studies at a music conservatory. Thus, the applicants are tested and assessed very thoroughly by experienced music teachers. To support these subjective results by objective data a procedure was developed allowing to test both the examinee's frequency and octave discrimination capacity in a simple way. In a 1-Hz cycle the frequencies f1 and f2 are directed mutually to the right and left ear, respectively, at a defined sound level. Then the examinee is asked to syntonize e.g. frequency equality f1 = f2 (or f1 = 2 x f2). It can be shown that there is a direct correlation between the amount of deviation from nominal frequency and subjective assessment of musicality.