[chatbot2]

As someone who studied music throughout school and played for quite some time, there is clearly be something innate about perfect pitch. I think a good allegory is people who can multiply giant numbers in their heads easily (previously referred to as "idiot savants" though that term sounds ridiculous now). While the rest of us can certainly practice and improve our multiplication skills, we'll always be missing some connection that allows them to do so effortlessly.

The link below is a study which shows that the distribution of pitch recognition among the general populace is bimodal (you have to scroll down a bit). This matches with my experience that, irrespective of practice, people either have it or they don't.

https://www.pnas.org/content/104/37/14795