C ( musical note ) - wikipedia C ( musical note ) Several terms redirect here. For other uses, see C ( disambiguation ), Hi - C ( disambiguation ) and Middle C ( novel ) Middle C Play ( help info ). C ( Italian : Do, French : Do, German : C ) is the first note of the C major scale, the third note of the A minor scale ( the relative minor of C major ), and the fourth note ( F, A, B, C ) of the Guidonian hand, commonly pitched around 261.63 Hz. The actual frequency has depended on historical pitch standards, and for transposing instruments a distinction is made between written and sounding or concert pitch. In English the term Do is used interchangeably with C only by adherents of fixed - Do solfège ; in the movable Do system Do refers to the tonic of the prevailing key. Contents 1 Frequency 2 Octave nomenclature 3 Designation by octave 4 Graphic presentation 5 Scales 5.1 Common scales beginning on C 5.2 Diatonic scales 5.3 Jazz melodic minor 6 B sharp 7 See also 8 References Frequency Historically, concert pitch has varied. For an instrument in equal temperament tuned to the A440 pitch standard widely adopted in 1939, middle C has a frequency around 261.63 Hz ( for other notes see piano key frequencies ). Scientific pitch notation was originally proposed in 1713 by French physicist Joseph Sauveur and based on the numerically convenient frequency of 256 Hz for middle C, all C 's being powers of two. After the A440 pitch standard was adopted by musicians, the Acoustical Society of America published new frequency tables for scientific use. A movement to restore the older A435 standard has used the banners `` Verdi tuning '', `` philosophical pitch '' or the easily confused scientific pitch. Octave nomenclature Middle C ( the fourth C key from left on a standard 88 - key piano keyboard ) is designated C in scientific pitch notation, the most commonly recognized in auditory science, while both C and the Helmholtz designation c ' are used in musical studies. Other note - octave systems, including those used by some makers of digital music keyboards, may refer to Middle C differently. In MIDI, Middle C is note number 60. While the expression Middle C is generally clear across instruments and clefs, some musicians naturally use the term to refer to the C note in the middle of their specific instrument 's range. C may be called Low C by someone playing a Western concert flute, which has a higher and narrower playing range than the piano, while C ( 523.251 Hz ) would be Middle C. This technically inaccurate practice has led some pedagogues to encourage standardizing on C as the definitive Middle C in instructional materials across all instruments. This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2017 ) In vocal music, the term Soprano C, sometimes called High C or Top C, is the C two octaves above Middle C. It is so named because it is considered the defining note of the soprano voice type. It is C in scientific pitch notation ( 1046.502 Hz ) and c ' ' ' in Helmholtz notation. The term Tenor C is sometimes used in vocal music to refer to C, as it is the highest required note in the standard tenor repertoire. The term Low C is sometimes used in vocal music to refer to C because this is considered the divide between true basses and bass - baritones : a basso can sing this note easily while other male voices, including bass - baritones, can not. Tenor C is an organ builder 's term for small C or C ( 130.813 Hz ), the note one octave below Middle C. In stoplists it usually means that a rank is not full compass, omitting the bottom octave. Designation by octave Scientific designation Helmholtz designation Bilinear music notation Octave name Frequency ( Hz ) Other names Audio C ͵ ͵ ͵ or ͵ ͵ ͵ C or CCCC ( - uC ) Infracontra 8.176 Play ( help info ) C ͵ ͵ or ͵ ͵ C or CCC ( - vC ) Subcontra 16.352 Play ( help info ) C ͵ or ͵ C or CC ( - wC ) Contra 32.703 Play ( help info ) ( - xC ) Great 65.406 Low C Play ( help info ) ( - yC ) Small 130.813 Bass C, Tenor C ( organ ) Play ( help info ) c ′ ( zC ) One - lined 261.626 Middle C Play ( help info ) c ′ ′ ( yC ) Two - lined 523.251 Tenor C ( vocal ), Tenor High C ( vocal ), Treble C Play ( help info ) c ′ ′ ′ ( xC ) Three - lined 1046.502 Soprano C ( vocal ), High C ( vocal ), Top C ( vocal ) Play ( help info ) c ′ ′ ′ ′ ( wC ) Four - lined 2093.005 Play ( help info ) c ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ( vC ) Five - lined 4186.009 Eighth octave C Play ( help info ) c ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ( uC ) Six - lined 8372.018 Play ( help info ) c ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ′ ( tC ) Seven - lined 16744.036 Play ( help info ) ( 20000 hertz is the start of the ultrasound in healthy young adults. ) Graphic presentation Middle C in four clefs Position of Middle C on a standard 88 - key keyboard Scales Common scales beginning on C C Major : CDEFGABC C Natural Minor : CDE ♭ FGA ♭ B ♭ C C Harmonic Minor : CDE ♭ FGA ♭ BC C Melodic Minor Ascending : CDE ♭ FGABC C Melodic Minor Descending : CB ♭ A ♭ GFE ♭ DC Diatonic scales C Ionian : CDEFGABC C Dorian : CDE ♭ FGAB ♭ C C Phrygian : CD ♭ E ♭ FGA ♭ B ♭ C C Lydian : CDEF ♯ GABC C Mixolydian : CDEFGAB ♭ C C Aeolian : CDE ♭ FGA ♭ B ♭ C C Locrian : CD ♭ E ♭ FG ♭ A ♭ B ♭ C Jazz melodic minor C Ascending Melodic Minor : CDE ♭ FGABC C Dorian ♭ 2 : CD ♭ E ♭ FGAB ♭ C C Lydian Augmented : CDEF ♯ G ♯ ABC C Lydian Dominant : CDEF ♯ GAB ♭ C C Mixolydian ♭ 6 : CDEFGA ♭ B ♭ C C Locrian ♮ 2 : CDE ♭ FG ♭ A ♭ B ♭ C C Altered : CD ♭ E ♭ F ♭ G ♭ A ♭ B ♭ C B sharp Comparison of notes derived from, or near, twelve perfect fifths ( B ♯ ). Twelve just perfect fifths ( B ♯ ) and seven octaves do not align as in equal temperament. Pythagorean : 701.955 × 12 = 8423.46 = 23.46 = B ♯ + + + ET : 700 × 12 = 8400 = 0 = B ♯ = C 1200 × 7 = 8400 = 0 = C This difference, 23.46 cents ( 531441 / 524288 ), is known as the Pythagorean comma. See also Piano key frequencies A440 ( pitch standard ) C major C minor Root ( chord ) References Jump up ^ Large, John ( February 1981 ). `` Theory in Practice : Building a Firm Foundation ''. Music Educators Journal. 32 : 30 -- 35. Jump up ^ `` At the Met Opera, a Note So High, It 's Never Been Sung Before '', The New York Times, Nov. 7, 2017 Jump up ^ Wakin, Daniel J. ( 2007 - 09 - 09 ). `` The Note That Makes Us Weep ''. New York Times. Retrieved 2007 - 12 - 12. Jump up ^ `` Luciano Pavarotti - King of the High C 's '', The New York Times ``, Sept. 9, 2007 Notes of the chromatic scale B ♯ / C C ♯ / D ♭ D ♯ / E ♭ E / F ♭ E ♯ / F F ♯ / G ♭ G ♯ / A ♭ A ♯ / B ♭ B / C ♭ Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=C_(musical_note)&oldid=837146536 '' Categories : Musical notes Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Articles containing Italian - language text Articles containing French - language text Articles containing German - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from June 2012 Articles needing additional references from September 2017 All articles needing additional references Articles with specifically marked weasel - worded phrases from September 2017 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Bân - lâm - gú Беларуская Беларуская ( тарашкевіца ) ‎ Български Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Latviešu Lietuvių Lumbaart Nāhuatl Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Scots Simple English Suomi Українська Vèneto Tiếng Việt Zazaki 中文 30 more Edit links This page was last edited on 19 April 2018, at 00 : 53. 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Question: which note is middle c on a piano
Answer: the fourth C key from left; the fourth C key from left on a standard 88-key piano keyboard; the fourth C key from left on a standard 88-key piano keyboard; the fourth C key from left on a standard 88-key piano keyboard