Tim Falconer, a self-confessed "bad singer," always wanted to make music, but soon after he starts singing lessons, he discovers that he's part of only 2.5 percent of the population afflicted with amusia -- in other words, he is scientifically tone-deaf. While many tone-deaf people are indifferent to music, or even actively dislike it, for Falconer music is a life-long passion.

Now available in paperback, Bad Singer chronicles his quest to understand human evolution and music, the brain science behind tone-deafness, his search for ways to retrain the adult brain, and his...