Cortical structure predicts success in performing musical transformation judgments

► Human participants underwent anatomical MRI and performed musical perceptual tasks. ► Cortical structure in Heschl's sulcus correlated with relative pitch performance. ► Structural in intraparietal sulcus also correlated with relative pitch performance. ► Musical training duration did not completely explain these behavior-anatomy effects. ► Results suggest pitch extraction in HS and subsequent transformation in IPS.