1.1 · Chromatic Notes

All the letters

Music names its notes with just seven letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, G. After G the alphabet starts over.

Tap a white key

Press a key to see its letter, its frequency, and its color.

Seven letters, then repeat

Walk the white keys from A and the names simply cycle: A B C D E F G. Then A again. That loop is the whole musical alphabet.

Each letter is a frequency

Each note vibrates the air a set number of times per second, measured in hertz (Hz). By modern convention, A above middle C is tuned to 440 Hz. That's absolute pitch: a letter always refers to a frequency.

Quiz · Find the letter

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Tap any A on the keyboard.

Any octave counts. There's more than one right key.

Quiz

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How many letters does music use to name its notes?

Score 100% on every quiz and game to complete this lesson. A perfect run sticks: a later miss never undoes it.Sharps & flats →