We often assume that "musical giftedness" runs in families. But once you try to break down what abilities underlie "musical giftedness" you realize that it includes a large set of abilities and social conditions. In my research I focus on musical memory for melodies under the assumption that if this trait is not highly developed in an individual her musical abilities will be limited. Of course memory can be driven by a whole set of neurochemicals and neurohormones. One such neurohormone which plays such a role is in musical memory is vasopressin. Interestingly this neurohormone is associated in animals and in humans (among other functions) with affiliative/aggressive social behaviors and social memory. We currently work on understanding the mechanism through which it exerts this effect and explore whether it is also associated with the ability to recognize emotions communicated in music.