A (musical note) facts for kids
The note A (also called La in some music systems) is the sixth note in the musical scale. It's a very important note in music! Musicians often use the note A as a standard for tuning their instruments. This helps everyone play together perfectly.
When an orchestra gets ready to play, the oboe usually plays an A. Then, all the other instruments adjust their sound to match that A. For string instruments, like violins or cellos, they even have a special A string. Players use this string to tune the rest of their instrument.
On a standard piano, A0 is the very lowest A note you can play. As you go up the keyboard, you find A1, A2, and so on. A7 is one of the highest A notes on the piano. While A isn't a specific vocal challenge like some other notes, it can be tricky to sing in very high or low octaves.
A Notes Across Octaves
Music notes repeat in groups called octaves. Each octave has the same notes, but they sound higher or lower. This table shows how different A notes are named and their exact sound frequency. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) and tells us how high or low a sound is. A higher number means a higher pitch.
| Scientific designation | Helmholtz designation | Octave name | Standard frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A9 | a′′′′′′ | Six-lined | 14080 |
| A8 | a′′′′′ | Five-lined | 7040 |
| A7 | a′′′′ | Four-lined | 3520 |
| A6 | a′′′ | Three-lined | 1760 |
| A5 | a′′ | Two-lined | 880 |
| A4 | a′ | One-lined | 440 |
| A3 | a | Small | 220 |
| A2 | A | Great | 110 |
| A1 | A͵ or ͵A | Contra | 55 |
| A0 | A͵͵ or ͵͵A | Subcontra | 27.50 |
| A−1 | A͵͵͵ or ͵͵͵A | Subsubcontra | 13.75 |
Common Scales Starting with A
A musical scale is a set of notes played in a specific order. Many popular scales begin with the note A. Here are some examples:
- A Major: A B C♯ D E F♯ G♯ A
- A Natural Minor: A B C D E F G A
- A Harmonic Minor: A B C D E F G♯ A
- A Melodic Minor Ascending: A B C D E F♯ G♯ A
- A Melodic Minor Descending: A G F E D C B A
- A Dorian: A B C D E F♯ G A
Related pages
See also
In Spanish: La (nota) para niños
