Elliot Kim
Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale. It is a major auditory attribute of musical tones, along with duration, loudness, and timbre. Pitch is closely related to frequency, but they are not the same thing. Frequency is an objective, scientific attribute that can be measured, while pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave by an individual person and cannot be directly measured. A high-frequency sound wave, such as 880 hertz, is perceived as a high pitch, while a low-frequency sound wave, such as 55 hertz, is perceived as a low pitch. The pitch of complex tones can sometimes be ambiguous, and two or more different pitches may be perceived depending on the observer. Absolute or perfect pitch is the ability to identify by ear any note at some standard pitch or to sing a specified note, and it is a rare ability.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale. |
| Relationship to frequency | Pitch is closely related to frequency, but they are not equivalent. Frequency is an objective, scientific attribute that can be measured, while pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave by an individual person, which cannot be directly measured. |
| High pitch | Corresponds to very rapid oscillation and high frequency (e.g. 880 Hz). |
| Low pitch | Corresponds to slower oscillation and low frequency (e.g. 55 Hz). |
| Measurement | Pitch may be quantified as a frequency in cycles per second or Hertz (Hz). |
| Complex tones | The pitch of complex tones can be ambiguous, with two or more different pitches perceived depending on the observer. |
| Sound pressure level | Pitch depends to a lesser degree on the sound pressure level (loudness, volume) of the tone, especially at frequencies below 1,000 Hz and above 2,000 Hz. |
| Absolute or perfect pitch | The ability to identify by ear any note at some standard pitch or to sing a specified note, e.g. G♯, at will. |
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What You'll Learn
Pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave
Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale. It is a major auditory attribute of musical tones, alongside duration, loudness, and timbre. Pitch is closely related to frequency and is often quantified as such, but it is not an objective attribute of a sound wave. Instead, pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave by an individual person.
While frequency is an objective, scientific attribute that can be measured, pitch is a psychoacoustic attribute that cannot be directly measured. Pitch is determined by how quickly a sound wave makes the air vibrate, with high pitch corresponding to very rapid oscillation and low pitch to slower oscillation. The pitch of complex tones can be ambiguous, with two or more different pitches perceived depending on the observer. For example, a complex tone composed of two sine waves of 1000 and 1200 Hz may sometimes be heard as three pitches: two spectral pitches at 1000 and 1200 Hz, and a combination tone at 200 Hz.
The perception of pitch also depends on the sound pressure level (loudness or volume) of the tone, especially at frequencies below 1,000 Hz and above 2,000 Hz. The pitch of lower tones gets lower as sound pressure increases, while the pitch of higher tones gets higher as the sound gets louder. These relationships between pitch, frequency, and sound pressure have been studied by researchers such as S. Stevens, W. Snow, and A. Cohen.
Absolute or perfect pitch is the rare ability to identify by ear any note at a standard pitch or to sing a specified note at will. It typically develops early in childhood and is associated with an acute memory for the sounds of particular instruments. Musicians may also slowly acquire a degree of absolute pitch, often for the familiar A′ = 440 Hz, which was adopted as the standard pitch in 1939.
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Pitch is related to frequency
Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale. It is a major auditory attribute of musical tones, along with duration, loudness, and timbre. Pitch is closely related to frequency, but they are not equivalent. Frequency is an objective, scientific attribute that can be measured, while pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave by an individual, which cannot be directly measured. However, pitch is almost entirely determined by how quickly a sound wave makes the air vibrate, which is the frequency.
A high-frequency sound wave, such as 880 hertz, is perceived as a high pitch, while a low-frequency sound wave, such as 55 hertz, is perceived as a low pitch. The pitch of a sound can be ambiguous, and two people may perceive two different pitches depending on the observer. Pitch also depends to a lesser degree on the sound pressure level (loudness, volume) of the tone, especially at frequencies below 1,000 Hz and above 2,000 Hz. For instance, a tone of 200 Hz that is very loud seems one semitone lower in pitch than if it is just barely audible.
The exact etymological history of the musical sense of high and low pitch is still unclear. However, there is evidence that humans perceive the source of a sound as slightly higher or lower in vertical space when the sound frequency is increased or reduced. In most cases, the pitch of complex sounds such as speech and musical notes corresponds very nearly to the repetition rate of periodic or nearly-periodic sounds.
Every musical note is associated with a unique frequency. The current standard pitch of A4, which is the A above middle C, is 440 Hz. This standard pitch was adopted in 1939, and for the eighty years prior, it had been set at 435 Hz.
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Pitch is an auditory sensation
The pitch of a sound is determined by how quickly the sound wave makes the air vibrate. A high pitch means very rapid oscillation, while a low pitch corresponds to slower oscillation. For example, a high-frequency tone of 880 hertz is perceived as a high pitch, while a low-frequency tone of 55 hertz is perceived as a low pitch.
The perception of pitch is complex and can be ambiguous, depending on the observer. The actual fundamental frequency of a complex tone can be precisely determined through physical measurement, but it may differ from the perceived pitch due to overtones or upper partials. Additionally, the pitch of lower tones gets lower as sound pressure increases, while the pitch of higher tones gets higher as the sound gets louder.
Absolute or perfect pitch is the ability to identify by ear any note at some standard pitch or to sing a specified note. This ability is rare and usually develops early in childhood. It is believed to be the result of specialized brain development that makes individuals sensitive to pitch.
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Pitch and the range of sound
Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale. Pitch is closely related to frequency, but the two are not the same. Frequency is an objective, scientific attribute that can be measured, while pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave by an individual, which cannot be directly measured. Pitch is determined by how quickly a sound wave makes the air vibrate, and it has almost nothing to do with the intensity or amplitude of the wave. A high pitch means very rapid oscillation, while a low pitch corresponds to slower oscillation.
In music, pitch refers to the position of a single sound in the complete range of sound. Sounds are higher or lower in pitch according to the frequency of vibration of the sound waves producing them. A high frequency, such as 880 hertz, is perceived as a high pitch, while a low frequency, such as 55 hertz, is perceived as a low pitch. Every musical note is associated with a unique frequency. The pitch of complex tones can sometimes be ambiguous, with two or more different pitches perceived depending on the observer.
The perception of pitch is related to the ability of humans to process sounds associated with music. This ability is due to the development of specialized brain areas that are sensitive to pitch. Other animals appear to lack this specialization in brain development. Absolute or perfect pitch is the ability to identify by ear any note at some standard pitch or to sing a specified note, such as G♯, at will. Fully developed absolute pitch is rare and usually appears early in childhood. Some musicians may slowly acquire a degree of absolute pitch, if only for the familiar A′ = 440 Hz, which was adopted as the standard pitch in 1939.
The pitch of lower tones can be affected by sound pressure, with the pitch getting lower as sound pressure increases. For example, a tone of 200 Hz that is very loud may seem one semitone lower in pitch than if it is barely audible. Above 2,000 Hz, the pitch gets higher as the sound gets louder. These relationships between pitch, frequency, and sound pressure level showcase the complexity of sound perception and our subjective experience of pitch within the range of audible sound.
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Absolute pitch, or perfect pitch
Pitch is a perceptual property that allows sounds to be ordered on a frequency-related scale. It is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" or "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies. Pitch is closely related to frequency, but the two are not equivalent. Frequency is an objective, scientific attribute that can be measured, whereas pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave by an individual, which cannot be directly measured.
Absolute pitch is rare and appears early in childhood. It is an acute form of memory for sounds of a particular instrument, such as the piano. Some musicians slowly acquire a degree of absolute pitch. Absolute pitch is an act of cognition, needing memory of the frequency, a label for the frequency (such as "B-flat"), and exposure to the range of sound encompassed by that categorical label. It may be directly analogous to recognizing colours, phonemes (speech sounds), or other categorical perception of sensory stimuli.
Absolute pitch is more common among speakers of tonal languages, such as most dialects of Chinese or Vietnamese, which depend on pitch variation to distinguish words that otherwise sound the same. In a 2009 study, researchers found that 20% of 72 autistic teenagers had a significant ability to detect pitches. Autistic children are especially sensitive to changes in pitch.
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Frequently asked questions
Pitch is the subjective perception of a sound wave by an individual. It is a psychoacoustic attribute of sound that allows us to judge sounds as "higher" or "lower". Pitch is closely related to frequency, but they are not the same thing.
Pitch is determined by how quickly a sound wave makes the air vibrate. A high frequency, such as 880 Hz, is perceived as a high pitch, while a low frequency, such as 55 Hz, is perceived as a low pitch.
Absolute, or perfect, pitch is the ability to identify by ear any note at some standard pitch or to sing a specified note at will. For example, being able to sing a G♯ without the aid of another pitch as a reference. Fully developed absolute pitch is rare.
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