Pitch and Frequency

The FREQUENCY of a Tuning Fork

• Tuning forks make a sound when they vibrate.

• Tuning forks are marked with a number.• The number tells you how many times the

tuning fork vibrates in each second.• Scientists call this the FREQUENCY of the

sound the tuning fork makes.• The units of frequency are hertz.

The PITCH of a note

• Musicians don’t use the word frequency.• Instead they talk about the PITCH of a

note.• The pitch tells you how high or low a note

sounds.

Notes on Frequency and Pitch

• Pitch and frequency are two words with almost the same meaning.

• Scientists use the word frequency to tell how many times an object vibrates every second. Frequency is described by a number and its units are hertz.

• Musicians use the word pitch to tell how high or low a note sounds. Pitch is described by a letter.