Scientific pitch notation, also known as international pitch notation or scientific notation, is a system used to name and represent musical pitches. It is a standardized method that allows musicians, composers, and scientists to accurately and precisely communicate the specific frequencies of musical tones.
In scientific pitch notation, the pitch of a note is represented by a letter that corresponds to the note's musical name, followed by a number which represents the octave in which the note resides. The letter names used in this system are the same as those in traditional music notation, including A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. However, the number attached to each note represents the octave in a unique way. The most commonly used reference pitch for scientific pitch notation is A4, which is the A above middle C, tuned to a frequency of 440 Hz.
The octave number is represented using a combination of primes (') and double primes ("). A prime (') indicates that the note is in the same octave as A4, while a double prime (") denotes an octave higher. For example, A4 is represented as A4, A3 is one octave lower and is written as A3, and A5 is one octave higher and is notated as A5.
Overall, scientific pitch notation provides a precise and clear way of communicating the pitch of musical tones, facilitating accurate transcriptions, compositions, and scientific investigations in the realm of acoustics and musicology.
