Every single sound that you hear has PITCH - high, medium, low, or somewhere in-between.  Humans can hear sounds as low as 20 cycles per second, and as high as 20,000 cps.  If the vibrations occur evenly and are vibrating between (approximately) 20 cps and 4000 cps, you will hear a sound reminiscent of a musical tone.  If the vibrations occur at exactly 261.63 cps, musicians will further identify that sound as the note "C3" or "middle C" as found on a piano (that is, if the piano is tuned correctly).

 

Another note, "A3", is known as the tuning standard, and it vibrates at exactly 440 cps.  What would happen if you decide not to use the standard, or create your own?  Well, some 18th and 19th century orchestras were notorious for tuning "sharp".  Every string player in these orchestras is required to "overtighten" his strings uniformly, creating a "local" standard of tuning; “A” = 441 cps, 442 cps or even higher.  The resultant sound would apparently be "brighter" than the neighboring orchestras.  This psycho-acoustic bamboozling of their audiences worked well until the clarinets, flutes, and other winds couldn't tune any sharper, and was abandoned when modern orchestras expanded to include the fixed-tuned melodic percussion instruments (chimes, bells, xylophone, etc.).  Note: for a time, melodic percussionists had to use and/or purchase instruments tuned to A = 441 cps or 442 cps, depending on the "standard" of their ensemble.  Unfortunately, anyone who owns one of these cannot use it with any modern ensemble without sounding out of tune.

 

Topic: Essential Elements 3