Guitar Lessons
Musical notes
Figure 1 illustrates note names on a keyboard octave. The keyboard is based on intervallic patterns of diatonic scale.
Fig. 1 Note names on piano keys
C D E F G A B - white keys, the C major scale (7)
C# D# F# G# A# - black keys (5)
12 notes
# - sharp, raises a note by semitone up
b - flat, lowers a note by semitone down
It's easy to remember the musical alphabet when you think of it this way:
- it's very much like the alphabet that you use everyday but its last letter is G - A B C D E F G
- there additional semitones between with the exception of E-F and B-C (there are two black keys missing, take a look at the keyboard illustration above)
Musical notes have unique frequencies. The unit of frequency in Hertz.
1 Hz = 1/s
1 Hertz means one per second. With a string instrument it's one string oscillation per second.
Table 1 represents musical notes and their frequencies divided into octaves.
Octave | Note | Frequency [Hz] | Octave | Note | Frequency [Hz] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Twice marked contra | C2 | 16,351598 | Twice marked | c2 | 523,251136 |
(32-foot) | Cis2 | 17,323915 | cis2 | 554,365268 | |
D2 | 18,354048 | d2 | 587,329542 | ||
Dis2 | 19,445437 | dis2 | 622,253974 | ||
E2 | 20,601723 | e2 | 659,255121 | ||
F2 | 21,826765 | f2 | 698,456470 | ||
Fis2 | 23,124652 | fis2 | 739,988853 | ||
G2 | 24,499715 | g2 | 783,990880 | ||
Gis2 | 25,956544 | gis2 | 830,609404 | ||
A2 | 27,500000 | a2 | 880,000009 | ||
Ais2 | 29,135235 | ais2 | 932,327533 | ||
B2 | 30,867707 | b2 | 987,766613 | ||
Contra | C1 | 32,703196 | Thrice marked | c3 | 1046,502272 |
(16-foot) | Cis1 | 34,647829 | cis3 | 1108,730535 | |
D1 | 36,708096 | d3 | 1174,659084 | ||
Dis1 | 38,890873 | dis3 | 1244,507948 | ||
E1 | 41,203445 | e3 | 1318,510241 | ||
F1 | 43,653529 | f3 | 1396,912940 | ||
Fis1 | 46,249303 | fis3 | 1479,977706 | ||
G1 | 48,999430 | g3 | 1567,981760 | ||
Gis1 | 51,913088 | gis3 | 1661,218807 | ||
A1 | 55,000001 | a3 | 1760,000018 | ||
Ais1 | 58,270471 | ais3 | 1864,655065 | ||
B1 | 61,735413 | b3 | 1975,533225 | ||
Large | C | 65,406392 | Fourfold marked | c4 | 2093,004544 |
(8-foot) | Cis | 69,295658 | cis4 | 2217,461071 | |
D | 73,416193 | d4 | 2349,318168 | ||
Dis | 77,781747 | dis4 | 2489,015895 | ||
E | 82,406890 | e4 | 2637,020483 | ||
F | 87,307059 | f4 | 2793,825880 | ||
Fis | 92,498607 | fis4 | 2959,955412 | ||
G | 97,998860 | g4 | 3135,963520 | ||
Gis | 103,826175 | gis4 | 3322,437615 | ||
A | 110,000001 | a4 | 3520,000036 | ||
Ais | 116,540942 | ais4 | 3729,310131 | ||
B | 123,470827 | b4 | 3951,066451 | ||
Small | c | 130,812784 | Fivefold marked | c5 | 4186,009088 |
(4-foot) | cis | 138,591317 | cis5 | 4434,922141 | |
d | 146,832385 | d5 | 4698,636335 | ||
dis | 155,563493 | dis5 | 4978,031791 | ||
e | 164,813780 | e5 | 5274,040965 | ||
f | 174,614118 | f5 | 5587,651761 | ||
fis | 184,997213 | fis5 | 5919,910824 | ||
g | 195,997720 | g5 | 6271,927040 | ||
gis | 207,652351 | gis5 | 6644,875230 | ||
a | 220,000002 | a5 | 7040,000073 | ||
ais | 233,081883 | ais5 | 7458,620261 | ||
b | 246,941653 | b5 | 7902,132902 | ||
Once marked | c1 | 261,625568 | Sixfold marked | c6 | 8372,018176 |
(2-foot) | cis1 | 277,182634 | cis6 | 8869,844283 | |
d1 | 293,664771 | d6 | 9397,272670 | ||
dis1 | 311,126987 | dis6 | 9956,063582 | ||
e1 | 329,627560 | e6 | 10548,081930 | ||
f1 | 349,228235 | f6 | 11175,303521 | ||
fis1 | 369,994427 | fis6 | 11839,821649 | ||
g1 | 391,995440 | g6 | 12543,854081 | ||
gis1 | 415,304702 | gis6 | 13289,750460 | ||
a1 | 440,000005 | a6 | 14080,000145 | ||
ais1 | 466,163766 | ais6 | 14917,240522 | ||
b1 | 493,883306 | b6 | 15804,265803 |
Table 1 Musical notes and their frequencies divided into octaves
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