Pitch (Frequency)

Musical tones all have certain pitches. Pitched tones are also called musical notes. The pitch of a

musical note refers to how high or low the note is in the overall pitch register. Bass notes are

lower in the pitch register than treble sounds are. A soprano sings higher notes than a bass does.

Pitch is the ear’s perception of the wavelengths of the sounds being produced (see Figure 1.3).

Lower-pitched sounds have relatively long wavelengths, while higher-pitched sounds have relatively

short wavelengths.

Pitch is also referred to as frequency. Frequency is usually measured in Hertz, which is a measurement

of the number of sound waves per second. Hertz is often abbreviated as Hz; measurements

of frequency in thousands of Hertz are abbreviated as kHz (kilohertz).

The general range of human hearing extends from about 20 Hz to 20 kHz, although this can

vary depending upon the sensitivity of the individual ear. Beyond this range are sounds too low

to be heard (sub-audible sounds) or those too high to be heard by humans (the super-audible

sound register). Even though we cannot hear them, there are other creatures that can. Elephants

communicate to each other using sub-audible sounds, as do male alligators seeking a mate. Similarly,

operating in the super-audible register, there is the dog whistle, which we cannot hear, as

well as the sonic pulses emitted by bats. In both of these cases, the frequencies are so high that

we do not register them.

The range of frequencies generally used in music covers a little more than seven octaves of

sound, which is the general range covered by a concert grand piano. The ranges of most

other instruments tend to be mapped out within that generalized limit. The range is referred

to as the characteristic register of that instrument (see Figure 1.4).

The notes produced by such instruments are typically stable in terms of their frequency, meaning the

ear hears them as notes of a definite pitch. In order for different instruments to work together, they

must be tuned. This means that note A on one instrument should ideally be the same note A heard

on another instrument. General adjustments in the tuning of instruments are often made to ensure

this consistency. So that all instruments sound in tune with each other, there is a generalized pitch

standard in which note A (above Middle C) is taken to be 440 Hz. This is the master tuning universally

adopted for both standard and electronic musical instruments. I am sure you have heard a
symphony orchestra tuning up. Each of the players is ensuring that his instrument produces the

correct A. Without this process of tuning, those slight discrepancies of tuning between different

instruments would severely mar the performance. Of course, for some instruments, this discrepancy

is actually required. A good example is the honky-tonk piano, which produces the kind of sound

you get from an old, neglected upright piano that has gradually fallen out of tune.

Another very important pitch standard is note Middle C, which is universally recognized as the

central point of the pitch register. Middle C is the note that lies to the left of the two black keys

nearest the lock on a piano. Within music software programs that offer a score or notation editor

(such as Cubase, Logic, SONAR, Digital Performer, Sibelius, or Finale), Middle C is used as the