Table of Contents

The Musical Alphabet

Note Names

  • Pitches are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet, A through G.
  • This pattern is repeated over the entire range of pitches.
  • A complete group of pitches is referred to as an octave.

Press the buttons below to hear each of these pitches.


one octave

Every octave, the physical frequency of the note doubles. Therefore, if you start with an A of 440 Hz, the next A above that would be 880 Hz.

With the doubling of frequency, the physical sound waves line up, and the two pitches sound similar to the ear. Therefore, the pitches have the same name.