Q: Is perfect pitch a real thing that people either have or don't, or is that just an elitist thing to say to discourage musicians from trying?
A: the concept is misleading. it sounds like something you need for music, but it's really not. let me give you an example, with navigation. let's say you blindfold the world's greatest navigator and put him or her to sleep in a dark room in an undisclosed location. then you wake them up and ask them which way north is. would you expect them to know? no. that's not what matters. what matters is whether or not they can find north after you tell them where east is