Pitch Pipe — Online Chromatic C4 to C5

A pitch pipe sounds one reference pitch at a time so a group can start in tune. This online chromatic pitch pipe covers 13 notes from C4 to C5, with C4 marked as the root. Tap a note to hear a single sustained tone; nothing sounds until you ask for it.

How to use it

1. Tap the root, C4, to hear the key centre. The Root tag sits under the C4 label, and every other button is named relative to it.
2. Tap any of the other twelve notes for its reference pitch. C# through B fill in the semitones, and C5 closes the octave.
3. Tap a different note at any time. A new tap replaces the sounding tone, so only one pitch plays at once, as on a real pipe, one hole at a time.
4. Read the frequency under each name. The note name is the label; the figure below it is the synthesized frequency at A4 = 440 Hz.
5. Match by ear. Hum, sing or play your starting note quietly against the reference and listen for the beating between the two pitches to slow down and stop.

The note range, note by note

Every button is one semitone from the next, and the frequencies follow 12-tone equal temperament at A4 = 440 Hz. The labels print one decimal place; the table carries two.

Note	Frequency	Cents above C4	Ratio to C4
C4 (root)	261.63 Hz	0	1.000
C#4	277.18 Hz	100	1.059
D4	293.66 Hz	200	1.122
D#4	311.13 Hz	300	1.189
E4	329.63 Hz	400	1.260
F4	349.23 Hz	500	1.335
F#4	369.99 Hz	600	1.414
G4	392.00 Hz	700	1.498
G#4	415.30 Hz	800	1.587
A4	440.00 Hz	900	1.682
A#4	466.16 Hz	1000	1.782
B4	493.88 Hz	1100	1.888
C5	523.25 Hz	1200	2.000

C5 is exactly double C4.

Why the frequencies look like that

The frequency of each note is f = 440 × 2^((n − 69) / 12), where n is the MIDI note number: C4 is MIDI 60 and A4 is MIDI 69. One semitone multiplies the frequency by 2^(1/12) ≈ 1.0595, which is 100 cents: the twelve semitones divide the octave into equal ratios rather than equal hertz.

The reference is the international standard pitch: ISO 16:1975 fixes A above the treble stave at 440 Hz within ±0.5 Hz. The tone is synthesized, so there is no reed to go flat in a cold hall, but what you hear still depends on the speaker.

Each tap builds one oscillator voice with a warm timbre at half gain, fades in over 40 ms and releases over 50 ms, then stops itself after about 2.2 seconds.

How a choir uses a pitch pipe

• Sound the tonic before the count-in. The choir hears the key centre, takes a breath, and starts on the conductor’s cue.
• Give the actual starting note. If the piece opens on the fifth, sound the fifth rather than asking singers to transpose a tonic in their heads.
• Use it once, then put it away. A held reference tone through the opening phrase pulls the choir toward the pipe and away from each other.
• Start everyone from the same note. All four voice parts hear one reference, which stops entries from drifting apart in the first bar.

Finding a starting pitch

1. Find the key. A piece in D major resolves around D, so the starting pitch is one of the notes of the D major chord.
2. Play the root first. Tap D for the tonic so the singers hear the key centre rather than an interval.
3. Play the actual entry note. If the altos enter on F#, tap F# and let them tune their note against the tone.
4. Sing the note back quietly. Hum or sing at the level of the tone, not above it; the goal is to match it.
5. Take the breath after the pitch, not during it. Hear the note, stop the tone, breathe, and start together.

Why a cappella groups still use one

An unaccompanied group has no instrument to lean on, so every entry has to be agreed in advance. A pitch pipe gives that agreement in one gesture: one singer sounds the note, everyone hears the same frequency, and the chord locks in from the first beat. It works in a noisy green room and does not depend on anyone’s internal sense of pitch being right that day. When you match the tone, keep the breath steady rather than pressing; if a note shakes, the airflow is usually uneven rather than the pitch.

Accuracy, limits and troubleshooting

• One octave only. C4 to C5 chromatically; there is no lower octave for basses and no upper extension for sopranos.
• One fixed reference pitch. Every note is calculated at A4 = 440 Hz. There is no 432 Hz or 442 Hz switch on this page.
• One-shot tones. Each tap plays for about 2.2 seconds and fades out; a second tap replaces the first, with no continuous mode or volume control.
• No microphone. The pipe cannot tell you whether you are in tune; it only gives you something to match.
• Speaker-dependent. Laptop speakers reproduce C4 and above far better than low bass, which is why this range was chosen; headphones are the most reliable reference.
• iPhone silent switch. If a tap produces no sound on an iPhone, check the side switch and the ringer volume; some iOS audio paths mute Web Audio while the device is silenced. Nothing plays until you tap, so the first tap also resumes the audio context.

Related tools

• Tuning Generator — A reference-pitch generator with a selectable A4 from 400 Hz to 480 Hz when you need something other than 440.
• Vocal Range Test — Measure your comfortable range with the microphone, then start pieces inside it.
• Chromatic Tuner — A microphone tuner that reads the notes you produce instead of playing notes at you.
• Ear Training — Practise matching and identifying pitches without leaning on a reference pipe.