The Difference Between Pitch, Note, and Tone

Which of the following statements is correct? A. She sang a tone. B. She sang a pitch. C. She sang a note. I see and hear these three terms used interchangeably, yet they are not the same. Which is correct? Let's explore together. Hi everyone and welcome to Music Theories, where I explain and analyze all topics to do with pop music, music theory, and music history. This video is part of a series I'm making on the very basics of understanding music. So if you want to follow along and learn with us, be sure to subscribe and hit the notification bell. If you're more into the music history or pop music discussion side of things, I've got you covered. Check out some of my other playlists on my channel. Now, I'm not one who was ever great at understanding science of any field. So believe me when I tell you that making this video is just as helpful for me as it is for you. Shout out to my husband with the science and music degrees for double checking my work on this. While this is certainly not a science video, it's impossible to discuss any of these terms without touching on that piece a little bit, starting with pitch. But first, why do we hear sound in general? And what makes something have a distinct pitch? When we hear sound, it means something is causing air molecules to be moved. However, if you were blasted by a barrage of air molecules, it would just be an assault of noise on your ears. So when it comes to hearing a distinct sound, both the source and the medium through which the sound waves disperse have an impact on the way that we hear it. The source itself has to vibrate at anywhere between 20 Hertz and 20,000 Hertz. And when it does, the back and forth motion of this vibration pushes air molecules. During the first half of the oscillation, when the source moves forward, molecules are pushed forward and bunched together with molecules in front of them. This causes an increase in the density of air at that point. This region is called compression. It is represented by the crest of a sine wave. During the second half of the oscillation, when the source moves back to its original position, it leaves a void. So there are fewer air molecules in that region and thus a decrease in the density of air at that point. This region is called a rarefaction. It's represented by the trough of a sine wave. This is one single oscillation. The number of oscillations that happens in one second is called the frequency. For example, the pitch A4 has an oscillation frequency of 440 per one second or 440 Hertz. Let's listen to that pitch. Now, if we double that frequency to 880 Hertz, we get a higher version of A, also known as the octave. Please check out this video to get a more in-depth explanation of the physics behind this. Each pitch that we use in music is defined by its frequency. A single pitch is often represented by a sine wave but it would be really difficult for musicians to discuss and communicate music by frequency. So musicians develop a system of names for the specific frequencies of these pitches and that is what we refer to as a note. However, there's a very important distinction between a pitch and a note, which is that notes include more information than just frequency. A note is the written symbol used to indicate duration and pitch of a sound by its shape and position on the staff. This is a staff, by the way. So where a pitch refers to the sound, a note refers to this plus how short or long that sound should be, indicated by what Western music calls whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and so on. Or if you're in the UK, semigreaves, minims, and crotchets, which brings up another problem we're gonna talk about in just a second. So while it's not incorrect to tell someone to sing a note, technically, you're asking for something more specific than just a pitch. So what then is a tone? What makes this super confusing is that what many people know as full steps and half steps, many others know as tones and semitones. Both are correct and they can be used interchangeably, but it's important to distinguish that the term tone is also used in a very specific and very different context. I've created some audio-visual resources to help us understand better. Tone, which is also known as timbre, is how we explain why an A4 on the guitar sounds different than an A4 on the piano. The reason for this is because of the quieter frequencies surrounding the pitch. These are called overtones. I'll be doing a separate, more in-depth video on the overtone series, but for now, here's a quick demonstration of the difference between pitch and tone. Here is an equalizer that demonstrates active frequencies when a pitch is played on the piano. Notice how the largest one sits right where the pitch is intended to be, but surrounding it is a gradient of smaller frequencies. These are the overtones. Using the EQ, I'll deaden everything besides the intended pitch. Do you notice the difference? This is a pitch, and this is the tone. Now, I'll sing that same note instead of playing it on the piano. Notice how the tonal quality has changed. Different overtones are slightly more or less prominent from instrument to instrument. This is influenced by things like the resonance space, the material the instrument is made of, the force at which you strike the instrument, and so on. This is why telling someone to sing a tone is technically not incorrect, but also misleading or unclear. Using tone in context of timbre for a singer would be more like, I love the tone of your voice, or could you give me a warmer, breathier tone? In summation, a pitch is what you sing, a note is how you sing it, and tone is how it sounds. I hope all that makes sense, but if it doesn't, please feel free to ask clarifying questions in the comments. In addition, let me know if there's anything else musical that you'd like an explanation of. Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share if you found this video helpful or entertaining. I really look forward to making more videos for you. See you next time.