Tone / note

What makes a tone

A tone has four properties: pitch, duration, volume and timbre. Pitch tells you whether it sounds high or low. Duration tells you how long it lasts, and volume how strong it is. Timbre is the reason you can tell a violin from a flute even when both play the same tone.

In notation the first two properties each get their own way of being written: the position on the lines shows the pitch, and the shape of the notehead shows the duration. These are two separate pieces of information that every note carries at the same time. That is the basic idea behind the page Reading music.

Tones have names

The seven natural notes are called C, D, E, F, G, A and B. A sharp raises a tone by a semitone (C becomes C♯), a flat lowers it by a semitone (D becomes D♭). After B the series starts again an octave higher, and because the names repeat, the register is given with strokes or numbers. German-speaking countries use a different system for one note: there the note we call B is called H, and B stands for what English calls B♭.

The name of a tone depends on its function, not only on the key you press. In A major the third note is called C♯ and not D♭, although on the piano both are the same key.

From tone to music

A single tone only becomes music through its relation to other tones. Two tones one after the other form a step or a leap, several form a melody. Two tones at the same time make an interval, three or more a chord.

Common mistakes

• Mixing up tone and note: The tone is what you hear. The note is the sign for it on paper.
• Mixing up B and H: In English, B is the natural note between A and C, and B♭ is a semitone lower. German sheet music writes H for our B and B for our B♭, which matters when you read German scores or chord symbols.
• Overlooking enharmonics: C♯ and D♭ sound the same, but they are written differently depending on the key.