Description
This article is from the Acoustics
FAQ, by Andrew Silverman with numerous contributions by
others.
6.6 What is pitch ?
The term "pitch" has both a subjective and an objective sense.
Concert pitch is an objective term corresponding to the frequency of
a musical note A (at present 440Hz). Using such a standard will define
the pitch of every other note on a particular musical scale. For
example, with Equal Temperament each semitone is higher or lower in
frequency than the previous semitone by a factor of 2^(1/12). An octave
is a pitch interval of 2:1. Many sounds with no obvious tonal
prominence are considered by musicians to be of indeterminate pitch;
for example, the side drum, cymbals, triangle, castanets, tambourine,
and likewise the spoken word.
Pitch is also a subjective frequency ordering of sounds. Perceived
pitch is dependent on frequency, waveform and amplitude or changing
amplitude. Numbers can be assigned to perceived pitch relative to a
pure frontal tone of 1000Hz at 40dB (1000 mels) thereby establishing
a pitch scale.
Further info and examples on pitch from URL:
http://www.music.mcgill.ca/auditory/Auditory.html
Continue to:
Share and Enjoy
Bookmark this story so others can enjoy it:
Tags
physics, acoustics
