What is pitch?

What is pitch?

• A. The duration of a note
• B. The color of a tone
• C. The volume of a sound
• D. The highness or lowness of a sound

Answer: (D)

Pitch is the perceived highness or lowness of a sound. It comes from the frequency of the vibrating air: faster vibrations produce higher pitches, slower ones produce lower pitches. That’s why a soprano’s notes sit higher than a bass’s, and why a flute can play bright, high notes while a tuba plays deep, low ones. Pitch is different from duration (how long a note lasts), timbre (the color or tone quality that makes two notes of the same pitch sound different), and dynamics (how loud a note is). The option that describes the highness or lowness of a sound captures this quality of pitch. When you practice scales, you’re moving through pitches from low to high or high to low.

Pitch is the perceived highness or lowness of a sound. It comes from the frequency of the vibrating air: faster vibrations produce higher pitches, slower ones produce lower pitches. That’s why a soprano’s notes sit higher than a bass’s, and why a flute can play bright, high notes while a tuba plays deep, low ones. Pitch is different from duration (how long a note lasts), timbre (the color or tone quality that makes two notes of the same pitch sound different), and dynamics (how loud a note is). The option that describes the highness or lowness of a sound captures this quality of pitch. When you practice scales, you’re moving through pitches from low to high or high to low.