Pitch in Music Explained: 5 Examples of Pitch in Music

Pitch, as it’s defined in music theory, is the specific audio vibration an instrument produces. Musical pitch, as well as musical timbre, define how a note sounds. Melodies form when musicians combine pitch with duration, which is how long a note sustains before going silent or giving way to another note.

In terms of physics, pitch refers to the specific frequency of a sound wave, which is measured in Hertz (Hz). These frequencies correspond to musical notes in two ways.

• High pitch: A high pitch is one that has a high-frequency vibration. Higher pitches are represented on the treble clef of a standard musical staff. Very high pitches are several ledger lines above the treble clef staff. On the piano keyboard, high-pitch notes are found on the right-hand side and usually played with the right hand. On stringed musical instruments, they are played high on the fingerboard.
• Low pitch: A lower-pitch note vibrates at a low frequency. On musical staves, these notes usually appear in the tenor clef or bass clef. Low pitches are found on the left-hand side of the piano keyboard and on the low fingerboard of string instruments.

Musicians measure the different pitches in music in two ways: physical vibration and note names.

• Physical vibration: A musical pitch corresponds with a specific sonic vibration, which is measured in Hertz (Hz). In most Western music, the musical scale is tuned to a standard where A4 (the A above middle C) vibrates at 440 Hz. Musical frequencies double with each octave, which means that A5 (an octave higher) vibrates at 880 Hz, and A3 (an octave lower) vibrates at 220 Hz.
• Note names: Music theorists have devised a system of identifying pitches that gives a letter name to each of the different notes. They then divide these notes into intervals called semitones, or half-steps. There are 12 semitones used in Western pop and classical music. They can be organized into groups like the major scale, the minor scale, and the chromatic scale.

Note that musicians do not use amplitude to measure pitch. The amplitude of a sound wave affects its volume; frequency affects pitch.

In Western music, theorists and musicians give each particular pitch a precise name, based on the 12-note scale. They derive a specific pitch name from two elements: the name of the note and the octave the note appears in. For example, the note F in the third octave of standard music is referred to as F3. The note D♯ in the 5th octave is called D♯5. Middle C, which is the middle note on a piano keyboard, has the pitch name C4.

Pitches that can be clearly identified and named are called definite pitches. Instruments like piano, guitar, violin, and trumpet produce definite pitches. Some pitches cannot be clearly identified and named, and these are called indefinite pitches. Many percussion instruments such as snare drums and cymbals produce indefinite pitches.

To understand how musicians use pitch in their everyday practice, learn some of the common musical phrases that involve pitch.

1. 1. Perfect pitch: A person with perfect pitch can identify any note in a scale if they have another note as a reference point. For instance, if you play a Middle C as a relative pitch and then play any other note, a person with perfect pitch should be able to identify the new note.
2. 2. Absolute pitch: A person with absolute pitch can identify any musical note without needing a reference pitch.
3. 3. Sharp pitch: A sharp pitch is one that is a bit too high for the intended note. You can correct for sharp pitches by re-tuning your instrument or by adjusting your technique. Note that a sharp pitch is different from the sharp key signature found in music notation; a musical sharp means that a composer wants you to play a note that is a half-step above a note on the musical staff.
4. 4. Flat pitch: A flat pitch is one that is a bit too low for the intended note. It is effectively the opposite of a sharp pitch. Note that music notation also has flat notes—just like it has sharp notes—and these notes are not the same as playing a pitch that's accidentally too flat.
5. 5. Diatonic pitch: A diatonic pitch, or diatonic note, is one that is part of a major scale or minor scale. If you are playing a C major scale, the notes C, D, E, F, G, A, and B are all diatonic pitches. The note F♯ is a non-diatonic pitch in that scale, but a musician may still want to use that F♯ for harmonic purposes.

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