Music Note Frequency Chart – Complete Guide

A music note frequency chart is a reference table that lists every musical note and its corresponding frequency in hertz. Instead of thinking of a note as a letter (C, D, E, etc.) and an octave number, you see the exact number of times per second the sound wave vibrates. Middle C vibrates 261.63 times per second. The A above it (A4, also called concert pitch) vibrates 440 times per second. This translation between named notes and numeric frequencies is essential for tuning instruments, mixing audio, and understanding how pitch works physically.

Most charts are organized by octave—a span of frequencies where the highest frequency is exactly double the lowest. The piano spans roughly 8 octaves. A single octave might contain twelve chromatic notes (in Western music), each related to the next by a fixed mathematical ratio.

How frequencies are organized: the chromatic scale and octaves

Every time you move up one octave—say, from C3 to C4—the frequency exactly doubles. C3 is 130.81 Hz; C4 is 261.63 Hz. C5 is 523.25 Hz. This doubling happens regardless of the note; it’s a universal property of pitch. Your ear hears the doubling as “the same note, higher,” which is why a child and an adult singing the same melody might be singing in different octaves but still singing together.

Within each octave, the twelve chromatic notes (in Western equal temperament) are spaced by a constant ratio: the 12th root of 2, which equals approximately 1.0595. This means each semitone is 5.95% higher in frequency than the previous note. It’s not arithmetic spacing (like 100, 110, 120); it’s geometric spacing, which is why your ear perceives equal musical intervals.

Practically, this means that the gap between C and C-sharp (first two notes in the chromatic scale) is smaller numerically at the bottom of the piano (from 261.63 to 277.18 Hz—a jump of 15.5 Hz) but larger numerically at the top (from 2,093 to 2,217 Hz—a jump of 124 Hz). Yet your ear hears both as the same size interval because the ratio is the same.

Common reference frequencies and why A4 = 440 Hz matters

A4 at 440 Hz is the international standard for concert pitch. This wasn’t always true—in the 18th century, orchestras used different standards ranging from 415 Hz to 430 Hz. Standardizing on 440 Hz in 1939 allowed orchestras worldwide to use the same tuning, making ensemble playing and recording possible across borders.

Middle C, or C4, is 261.63 Hz—the note at the center of a piano keyboard and roughly in the middle of human speech frequency range. C4 is often used as a reference because it’s visually central and historically important in music notation.

These two notes—A4 and C4—are the anchors for most frequency reference charts. If you know their frequencies, you can derive any other note’s frequency mathematically. A3 is half of A4, so 220 Hz. A5 is double A4, so 880 Hz. Similarly, you can move between C notes in different octaves by doubling or halving.

Charts by instrument: piano, guitar, voice

Different instruments have different ranges, and frequency charts often organize by instrument for practical reference.

Piano note frequencies span from A0 (27.5 Hz) at the lowest key to C8 (4,186 Hz) at the highest. A complete piano chart shows all 88 keys with their frequencies. This range is wider than most instruments, which is why the piano is often used as the master reference for frequency charts.

Guitar note frequencies depend on open string tuning. Standard tuning (low E, A, D, G, B, high E) produces:

• Low E string: 82.41 Hz
• A string: 110 Hz
• D string: 146.83 Hz
• G string: 196 Hz
• B string: 246.94 Hz
• High E string: 329.63 Hz

Plus, each fret adds semitones up the neck. A guitarist moving the capo changes all frequencies proportionally—moving a capo up two frets raises every note’s frequency by the same ratio (1.0595² ≈ 1.122), so the lowest string’s frequency goes from 82.41 Hz to 92.50 Hz.

Voice frequencies vary by singer. A typical male baritone sings between 110–220 Hz (roughly the A2 to A3 range). A soprano typically sings between 261–1,046 Hz (C4 to C6). Bass singers go lower, sopranos go higher, and everything overlaps depending on the singer’s voice type and training. Understanding voice frequency ranges helps with microphone selection, EQ, and recording technique.

How to use a frequency chart for tuning and mixing

Tuning depends on having a reference frequency. If you need to tune a guitar, use a chart to find the target frequency for each open string (82.41 Hz for low E, for example), then use a tuner app or instrument that displays frequency or cents (a unit of pitch distance). Some tuners show both the note name and the exact frequency in hertz.

In audio mixing, frequency charts inform EQ decisions. If a vocal recording is muddy, the problem might be buildup around 200–300 Hz, which overlaps the lower range of many male voices. A frequency chart reminds you where those frequencies live and why reducing them might clear up the mix without affecting the highest or lowest frequencies.

When recording instruments, understanding each instrument’s frequency range prevents wasting headroom on frequencies the instrument doesn’t produce. A violin doesn’t generate much below 196 Hz; a tuned kick drum has most energy between 40–150 Hz. A frequency chart helps you decide where to focus your mixing effort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do all instruments follow the same frequency chart?

Yes, in Western equal temperament. A4 is 440 Hz on a piano, a guitar, a voice, anywhere. The difference is range—instruments produce different sets of frequencies based on their lowest and highest notes. But the ratio between notes is universal.

Is 440 Hz the “correct” tuning, or is there a “better” one?

440 Hz is the international standard, adopted for practical reasons. Some musicians argue that alternative tunings like 432 Hz or 528 Hz have acoustic or even spiritual properties, but there’s no objective evidence that any tuning is “better” than 440 Hz. Different tunings are aesthetic choices.

How precise do I need to be when tuning?

Depends on your application. Professional studio recording usually aims for ±5 cents (0.05 semitones). Live performance is often looser. A cent is 1/100th of a semitone, so 5 cents is imperceptible to most listeners but measurable with good tuning equipment.

Can a frequency chart help me identify notes by ear?

Indirectly. Knowing that a note is roughly 300 Hz narrows it down to a small range, but identifying notes by ear (perfect pitch or relative pitch training) is a skill separate from a chart. Charts are references; ear training is practice.

---