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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.
For standard A440 pitch equal temperament, the system begins at a frequency of 16.35160 Hz, which is assigned the value C 0. The octave 0 of the scientific pitch notation is traditionally called the sub-contra octave , and the tone marked C 0 in SPN is written as ,,C or C,, or CCC in traditional systems, such as Helmholtz notation .
For instance, 660 Hz / 440 Hz (a ratio of 3:2) constitutes a fifth, and 880 Hz / 440 Hz (2:1) an octave. Such intervals (termed "just") have a stability, or purity to their sound, when played simultaneously (assuming they are played using timbres with harmonic partials) because pure intervals do not waver or beat regularly.
The quantity log 2 ( f / 440 Hz ) is the number of octaves above the 440 Hz concert A, or A 4, or a ′ . Multiplying it by 12 gives the number of semitones above 440 Hz (the value is negative if the frequency f is lower in pitch than 440 Hz).
Notes that do not meet that criterion are called chromatic notes or accidentals. Accidental symbols visually communicate a modification of a note's pitch from its tonal context. Most commonly, [note 2] the sharp symbol (♯) raises a note by a half step, while the flat symbol (♭) lowers a note by a half step.
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]
A440 (also known as Stuttgart pitch [1]) is the musical pitch corresponding to an audio frequency of 440 Hz, which serves as a tuning standard for the musical note of A above middle C, or A 4 in scientific pitch notation. It is standardized by the International Organization for Standardization as ISO 16.
In music, the fundamental is the musical pitch of a note that is perceived as the lowest partial present. In terms of a superposition of sinusoids, the fundamental frequency is the lowest frequency sinusoidal in the sum of harmonically related frequencies, or the frequency of the difference between adjacent frequencies.