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This is a list of the fundamental frequencies in hertz (cycles per second) of the keys of a modern 88-key standard or 108-key extended piano in twelve-tone equal temperament, with the 49th key, the fifth A (called A 4), tuned to 440 Hz (referred to as A440). [1] [2] Every octave is made of twelve steps called semitones.
An 88-key piano, with the octaves numbered and middle C (cyan) and A 4 (yellow) highlighted. A440 is widely used as concert pitch in the United Kingdom [8] and the United States. [9] In continental Europe the frequency of A 4 commonly varies between 440 Hz and 444 Hz. [8]
The initial standard was A = 439 Hz ⓘ, but this was superseded by A = 440 Hz, possibly because 439 Hz was difficult to reproduce in a laboratory since 439 is a prime number. [22] In 1964, of 31 top professional U.S. orchestras, 19 were tuning at 440, the others at 441 or 442. [23]
The table below gives notation for pitches based on standard piano key frequencies: standard concert pitch and twelve-tone equal temperament. When a piano is tuned to just intonation, C 4 refers to the same key on the keyboard, but a slightly different frequency. Notes not produced by any piano are highlighted in medium gray, and those produced ...
Likewise, if a string tuned to 220 Hz (with a harmonic at 440 Hz) is played together with a string tuned at 442 Hz, the same 2 Hz beat is heard. [4] Because pianos typically have multiple strings for each piano key, these strings must be tuned to the same frequency to eliminate beats.
In musical notation, the different vertical positions of notes indicate different pitches. Play top: Play bottom: Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale, [1] or more commonly, pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies. [2]
In modern times, 12-ET is usually tuned relative to a standard pitch of 440 Hz, called A440, meaning one note, A4 (the A in the 4th octave of a typical 88-key piano), is tuned to 440 hertz and all other notes are defined as some multiple of semitones apart from it, either higher or lower in frequency. The standard pitch has not always been 440 Hz.
These two numbers are from a list of consecutive integers assigned to consecutive semitones. For example, A 4 (the reference pitch) is the 49th key from the left end of a piano (tuned to 440 Hz), and C 4 , and F ♯ 4 are the 40th and 46th keys, respectively.