A (musical note)

musical note

La or A is the sixth note of the solfège. "A" is generally used as a standard for tuning. When the orchestra tunes, the oboe plays an "A" and the rest of the instruments tune to match that pitch. Every string instrument in the orchestra has an A string, from which each player can tune the rest of their instrument.

A0 is the lowest note on the standard piano. The octaves follow A1, A2, etc.. A7 is a few pitches lower than C8, the highest note on the standard piano. The note "A" is not considered to be a certain milestone or mark to hit with voice as, for example, Tenor C is, but it can be extremely demanding in certain octaves.

Designation by octave change

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 beginning on A change

  • 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

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