Learning Objectives
- Define pitch as the perception of how high or low a sound is.
- Learn about the two most commonly used systems of pitch identification (alphabetic and syllabic).
The Keyboard II: Pitch
Definition
Pitch is one of the most basic parameters of music. We use the concept of pitch to describe our perception of how high or low a sound is. As you already know, a pitch can be the same as, higher than, or lower than another pitch. In the quiz that follows (on the next page), you will need to be able to hear the difference between higher or lower pitches.
Pitch 1 is lower than 2
Pitch 1 is lower than 2
Pitch 1 is higher than 2
(The term tone is sometimes used as a synonym for pitch. It is useful, however, to think of tone more specifically as the particular sound of a pitch.)
The Keyboard and Pitch
Each key on the piano represents a specific pitch that is sounded when that key is pressed. Playing keys successively to the right will produce tones that are slightly higher than the previous ones. If you play successive keys to your left, each tone will be slightly lower than the one before it.
Two Systems of Pitch Identification
We will now learn how to name the pitches found on the keyboard. The two systems of pitch identification most commonly used are the alphabetic and syllabic systems.
In the alphabetic system—which is the one we will use in this course—pitches are identified by letter names from A to G (as shown below). In the syllabic system, pitches are identified by the syllables do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti. (This practice is known as solmization, which was developed by an Italian monk named Guido d'Arezzo more than 1000 years ago.)
| Music Notation Systems | |||||||
| Alphabetic | A | B | C | D | E | F | G |
| Syllabic | la | ti | do | re | mi | fa | sol |