The Relationship between Pitch and Frequency

As I mentioned in the previous post, pitch is the subjective quality that determines whether something sounds low or high; differences in pitch are how humans distinguish the low sounding bass range from the higher sounding treble range, for example. Though pitch is a perceived property, it corresponds to a measurable property: frequency.

Frequency is the number of cycles in a wave over time. The most common unit of frequency and the unit used in the context of sound and music is hertz: cycles per second. The pitch of sound is defined by the frequency of its waves. In the context of music, the pitch of a sound is defined by its fundamental frequency, which is the loudest frequency it produces. Musical instruments also produce harmonics in addition to a fundamental frequency, which are waves of higher frequency that affect the timbre of the instrument.

Musical scales are tuned to the note A-440, which means that a central A note (for instruments tuned in the key of C) has a frequency of 440 hertz. The rest of the notes are tuned accordingly. This resourse is still a great tool to explore. Its default setting of 440 hertz should make perfect sense given the modern tuning system. You can change the number of hertz to explore how the pitch of the produced sound changes. Additionally, you can progressively double the number of hertz to hear the sound increasing an octave at a time, which is another important part of the relationship between frequency and pitch; doubling the frequency of a sound wave increases the pitch of the note produced by an exact octave.

Works Cited:

1. "Fundamental Frequency and Harmonics." Fundamental Frequency and Harmonics. The Physics 

Classroom. Web. 31 Aug. 2015. 

2. Gunther, Leon. The Physics of Music and Color. New York, New York: Springer, 2012.

3."Online Tone Generator." Online Tone Generator. Accessed August 26, 2015.