Notes and Intervals

A note, in music, is a sound with a particular pitch. Pitch is frequency, measured in cycles per second, or Hertz (Hz). The faster the vibration, the higher the pitch.

A vibration, at, say, 220 Hz, all by itself is a note by that general definition. But the note doesn’t acquire its distinct personality until it’s considered in relation to some other note. That relationship is called an interval.

Here is that 220 Hz note, played on a cello, all by itself: 220 Hz

Here it is in relation to a note an octave below, vibrating half as fast, at 110 Hz: 220 and 110

This interval sounds simple to the ear. In fact, it’s a first introduction to perhaps the basic miracle of music — the octave. Somehow, our ears and brains process this interval, the ratio of 2:1, as being the same note! More on this later.

But now play it with a note vibrating at 1/3 of its frequency, or 73.33 Hz. The 220 Hz note acquires a very different character: 220 and 73

And now with a note at 1/5 its frequency, 44 Hz: 220 and 44

Even though the 220 Hz note always has the same pitch, in a different context it has a different personality and function.

The lattice of the Flying Dream video does not show absolute pitch. Each intersection, or node, represents a note, named according to its relationship to one special note: the Tonic.

Next: The Tonic