Middle C

In Western music, the expression "Middle C" refers to the note "C" located exactly between the two staves of the grand staff. This note resonates at a frequency of 261.626 hertz, and is near the top of the bass vocal range and near the bottom of the Soprano range.^[1] The note is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation (also known as note-octave notation), so named because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard. While other pitch notation systems (including those used by some manufacturers of digital music keyboards) may refer to "Middle C" with a different designation, the C4 designation is the most commonly recognized in auditory science and most frequently used in musical studies.

While the expression "Middle C" is generally clear across instruments and clefs, some musicians tend to use the term to refer to the C note in the middle of their specific instrument's range. For example, C4 may be called "Low C" by someone playing a Western concert flute (which has a higher and narrower playing range than a piano), while C5 (523.251 Hz) would be "Middle C". This technically inaccurate practice has led some pedagogues to encourage standardizing on C4 as the definitive "Middle C" in instructional materials across all instruments.^[2]

Graphic presentation

Middle C in four clefs

Position of Middle C on an 88-key keyboard

Audio presentation

Listen to this note Image:C4 Sound.mid

261.625565Hz

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References

^ Apel, Willi (1968). Harvard Dictionary of Music: Second Edition. Belknap Press. ISBN 978-0674375017.
^ Large, John (February 1981). "Theory in Practice: Building a Firm Foundation". Music Educators Journal 32: 30–35.