There are many possible musical systems, and this system - where any particular piece picks out 7 from a list of 12 possible notes - is only one of them. In general, notes sound nice together when their frequencies form a ratio of two small numbers. For example, if a C is 500 Hz (that is, it's the pitch you get from vibrating 500 times a second), then a G ends up being 750, a nice 3/2 multiple of C (the smallest possible ratio where one isn't just a multiple of the other). We define our notes in such a way that the 12 possible notes represent nice small ratios that are possible from a base note. If we start from C, for example, the notes in the C (major) scale have the ratios 1/1, 9/8, 5/4, 4/3, 3/2, 5/3, and 15/8 (in order: D, E, F, G, A, and B). You may notice 6/5 is missing here: that's because 6/5 is very close to 5/4 and sounding the two together creates dissonance (in the form of the ratio 25/24), so we don't mix 6/5 and 5/4 in the same set of notes. In this scale, the C major scale, we use 5/4; if we were using C minor, we would be using 6/5 instead. The 6/5 ratio is the minor third, while the 5/4 ratio is the major third; the major and minor scales are named after these notes because you usually do not use them together. (Similarly, 9/5 is missing because it's close to 5/3; these are respectively the minor and major sixths.) More generally, the reason for there being exactly 7 notes in such a scale is that trying to add more results in some closely-spaced notes that tend to clash. And finally, the reason we loop back after seven is that the eighth note has exactly double the frequency of the original, that is, the ratio 2/1. And that ratio sounds very similar to the original note, so we give it the same name: if the original note was middle C, seven steps up from it (i.e., the eighth note) is the next higher version of C (called, in this case, treble C), and the one seven steps up from that (i.e., the sixteenth note) is yet another version of C (in this case, high C). Answer from breckenridgeback on reddit.com
Music and Theory
musicandtheory.com › home › blog › why are music notes named the way they are?
Why are Music Notes Named the Way They Are? - Music and Theory
June 15, 2023 - The 7 natural letter notes are represented by the white keys, and the 5 in-between notes are represented by the black keys. The black keys are shown here with both names, and the higher C shows the octave. Depending on where you live and what language you speak, you may not use the letters A-B-C-D-E-F-G to name music notes.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › List_of_musical_symbols
List of musical symbols - Wikipedia
3 weeks ago - In American usage, musical note and rest values have names that indicate their length relative to a whole note. A half note is half the length of a whole note, a quarter note is one quarter the length, etc. Accidentals modify the pitch of the notes that follow them on the same staff position within a measure, unless cancelled by an additional accidental. Key signatures indicate which notes are to be played as sharps or flats in the music that follows, showing up to seven sharps or flats.
ELI5: Why are there only 7 musical notes?
There are many possible musical systems, and this system - where any particular piece picks out 7 from a list of 12 possible notes - is only one of them. In general, notes sound nice together when their frequencies form a ratio of two small numbers. For example, if a C is 500 Hz (that is, it's the pitch you get from vibrating 500 times a second), then a G ends up being 750, a nice 3/2 multiple of C (the smallest possible ratio where one isn't just a multiple of the other). We define our notes in such a way that the 12 possible notes represent nice small ratios that are possible from a base note. If we start from C, for example, the notes in the C (major) scale have the ratios 1/1, 9/8, 5/4, 4/3, 3/2, 5/3, and 15/8 (in order: D, E, F, G, A, and B). You may notice 6/5 is missing here: that's because 6/5 is very close to 5/4 and sounding the two together creates dissonance (in the form of the ratio 25/24), so we don't mix 6/5 and 5/4 in the same set of notes. In this scale, the C major scale, we use 5/4; if we were using C minor, we would be using 6/5 instead. The 6/5 ratio is the minor third, while the 5/4 ratio is the major third; the major and minor scales are named after these notes because you usually do not use them together. (Similarly, 9/5 is missing because it's close to 5/3; these are respectively the minor and major sixths.) More generally, the reason for there being exactly 7 notes in such a scale is that trying to add more results in some closely-spaced notes that tend to clash. And finally, the reason we loop back after seven is that the eighth note has exactly double the frequency of the original, that is, the ratio 2/1. And that ratio sounds very similar to the original note, so we give it the same name: if the original note was middle C, seven steps up from it (i.e., the eighth note) is the next higher version of C (called, in this case, treble C), and the one seven steps up from that (i.e., the sixteenth note) is yet another version of C (in this case, high C). More on reddit.com
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September 18, 202212 tones, 7 notes. Why?
Every major and minor uses one of each letter A-G, which is simpler than saying A minor has the notes A, C, D, F, H, I, and K More on reddit.com
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August 20, 2020ELI5: why are there 7 musical notes labelled A to G?
Most Western music uses 7 notes in a scale, with 12 total notes (notes outside of a key are called accidentals), but there are plenty of alternative tunings like 15 notes in an octave (the range from a note to the next note with the same name, like A to A) or 17 or 23 or..... any number really. 12 is just the most common We can definitely hear other pitches, music using other tuning systems is called "microtonal" music and there's plenty of it on YouTube More on reddit.com
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November 16, 2023What is the name of this 7 note scale?
Unlike every other scale constructed from major and minor triads off the tonic(I), dominant(V), and sub-dominant(IV) (CEG, FAC, GBD -> Major, CE♭G, FA♭C, GBD -> Harmonic Minor, ect.), I can't find a name for it* · Wikipedia's got nothing More on reddit.com
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May 1, 2018Videos
02:04
What can you do with just seven notes? - YouTube
08:17
Singing Basics Ep #3 - The 7 notes of Music | VoxGuru ft. Pratibha ...
08:18
Why Are There Only 7 Notes In Music? - YouTube
00:59
What are notes? 🎶 Music theory for beginners (Pt. 1) - YouTube
How to Read Notes The EASY Way You Weren't Taught
09:44
17. Why does the Major Scale have 7 Notes? - YouTube
Musiclever
musiclever.com › course › note names
Note names | Musiclever
This convention, resulting from the religious music of the Middle Ages, is used in Latin-speaking countries (France, Italy, Spain, etc.) for all styles of music. KEYBOARD 2 - Latin convention. The notes of the scale correspond to the white keys of a piano. Going up and down. The note names above are given in the ascending direction, that is, from the bass to the treble.
Quora
quora.com › What-are-the-seven-notes-of-music
What are the seven notes of music? - Quora
Answer (1 of 40): I would answer this question a bit differently. I challenge your basic assumption that there are, in fact, seven notes, because it will give you a very skewed point of view that optimizes a certain facet of music (major in the key of C) but makes a whole bunch of other things ha...
Quora
quora.com › There-are-seven-notes-in-music-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-but-they-are-always-counted-in-different-order-C-D-E-F-G-A-B-Is-there-a-reason-for-that
There are seven notes in music (A, B, C, D, E, F, G) but they are always counted in different order C-D-E-F-G-A-B. Is there a reason for that? - Quora
Answer (1 of 9): They aren’t always counted in a different order. The order you cite in both examples is exactly the same, just starting on a different note (A in your first example; C in your second). The reason C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C is so important is that it is a single octave of the C major scale ...
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The 8 Kinds of Musical Notes: British and American Names ...
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/explainlikeimfive › eli5: why are there only 7 musical notes?
r/explainlikeimfive on Reddit: ELI5: Why are there only 7 musical notes?
September 18, 2022 -
I’m not much of a musician but I’ve read that the notes go from A to G and then back to A again. I’ve been told that it happens because the eight note is the same as the one eight behind, just an octave higher. What does any of this mean?
Top answer 1 of 6
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There are many possible musical systems, and this system - where any particular piece picks out 7 from a list of 12 possible notes - is only one of them. In general, notes sound nice together when their frequencies form a ratio of two small numbers. For example, if a C is 500 Hz (that is, it's the pitch you get from vibrating 500 times a second), then a G ends up being 750, a nice 3/2 multiple of C (the smallest possible ratio where one isn't just a multiple of the other). We define our notes in such a way that the 12 possible notes represent nice small ratios that are possible from a base note. If we start from C, for example, the notes in the C (major) scale have the ratios 1/1, 9/8, 5/4, 4/3, 3/2, 5/3, and 15/8 (in order: D, E, F, G, A, and B). You may notice 6/5 is missing here: that's because 6/5 is very close to 5/4 and sounding the two together creates dissonance (in the form of the ratio 25/24), so we don't mix 6/5 and 5/4 in the same set of notes. In this scale, the C major scale, we use 5/4; if we were using C minor, we would be using 6/5 instead. The 6/5 ratio is the minor third, while the 5/4 ratio is the major third; the major and minor scales are named after these notes because you usually do not use them together. (Similarly, 9/5 is missing because it's close to 5/3; these are respectively the minor and major sixths.) More generally, the reason for there being exactly 7 notes in such a scale is that trying to add more results in some closely-spaced notes that tend to clash. And finally, the reason we loop back after seven is that the eighth note has exactly double the frequency of the original, that is, the ratio 2/1. And that ratio sounds very similar to the original note, so we give it the same name: if the original note was middle C, seven steps up from it (i.e., the eighth note) is the next higher version of C (called, in this case, treble C), and the one seven steps up from that (i.e., the sixteenth note) is yet another version of C (in this case, high C).
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There are more than 7. There are 7 letters used but there are also flats and sharps. On a piano and most instruments there's a total of 12 different notes. They don't go past the 7 letters because once you hit the 8th note of the scale, it's the same pitch as the root note but higher sounding. If you went to a piano and played a C, and went to the right until you find the next C, you'd find that they sound just like each other but the one on the right sounds higher. Getting more complicated, there are notes in between those 12 notes, but on instruments with fixed intervals like pianos, you can't play them.
Musicnotes
musicnotes.com › blog › the-7-letter-alphabet-how-to-name-music-notes
The 7 Letter Alphabet: How to Name Music Notes — Musicnotes Now
April 10, 2023 - If you’re learning how to read sheet music, the first thing to know is the “musical alphabet.” Luckily for all of us, it’s only seven letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. These letters are used to name the music notes you see on sheet music.
Facebook
facebook.com › groups › 480749852301325 › posts › 2297030114006614
Music Education | Musical Symbols And Their Names | Facebook
Musical Symbols And Their Names. A Beginners Guide. (Please Note These 👇) #musictheory #musiceducation #music #symbol #staff #clef #Sharp #trebleclef #flats
Musical Chord
musicalchord.com › music theory - musical notes
Music Theory - Musical Notes
August 6, 2024 - In the Western musical notation system, notes are represented by seven letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G, which correspond to the notes La, Si, Do, Re, Mi, Fa, and Sol, respectively.
FLStudioMusic
flstudiomusic.com › home › unveiling the 7 musical notes: a guide
Unveiling the 7 Musical Notes: A Guide
October 22, 2024 - I often wonder about the 7 musical notes that are key to music. These notes—C, D, E, F, G, A, and B—are part of the diatonic scale, crucial in Western music. Each note has a unique pitch and frequency, making music come alive.
ToneGym
tonegym.co › course › notes
Note Names | Music Theory 101
There are 7 natural notes in total. Natural notes are usually represented by a letter: 'A, B, C, D, E, F, G', or by their 'Solfa' name: 'Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti'.
HappyNote
happynote.com › music › music-theory-name-notes
7 music notes : Read A B C and Do Re Mi names explained
October 29, 2025 - There are 7 music notes: depending of the country their name is A, B, C, D, E, F, G, (alphabetical system) or Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Si.
Musicca
musicca.com › notes
Notes in music | Musicca
A note is a sound with a fixed pitch. The notes are named after the first seven letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. Learn about notes.
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Musical_note
Musical note - Wikipedia
2 weeks ago - Byzantium used the names Pa–Vu–Ga–Di–Ke–Zo–Ni (Πα–Βου–Γα–Δι–Κε–Ζω–Νη). In traditional Indian music, musical notes are called svaras and commonly represented using the seven notes, Sa, Re, Ga, Ma, Pa, Dha and Ni.
The Royal Conservatory of Music
rcmusic.com › about-us › news › why-does-a-major-scale-have-seven-notes
Why does a major scale have seven notes? | The Royal Conservatory of Music
Do re mi fa sol la ti do. It’s one of the first things taught to us in any music class — but have you ever wondered why we divide up musical pitch in this way?
Study.com
study.com › english courses › poetry: help & review
Reading Music Notes | Types, Symbols & Meaning - Lesson | Study.com
July 8, 2024 - Each musical note is assigned the name of A, B, C, D, E, F, or G. The basic symbols of music include the staff, clefs, and notes. There are multiple other symbols that help the musician know how to play the music tempo, tone, form, and much more!
Creators in Music
creatorsinmusic.com › home › music theory › musical notes
Types of Musical Notes - A Beginner's Guide | Creators in Music™
March 25, 2024 - For example, the harmonic minor scale has a sharpened 7th note. If that note was already a sharp note such as F♯, we would need to sharpen it AGAIN to make the scale. To summarize this all, there are three different pieces of information we can learn about musical notes by looking at them ...
School of Composition
schoolofcomposition.com › home › blog › what are the technical names in music? & what do they mean?
What are the Technical Names in Music? & What do They Mean? | School of Composition
October 3, 2022 - Here’s an example in the scale of E harmonic minor (with the 7th sharpened): Roman numerals on the chords of E minor. So just like the technical terms, Roman Numerals reveal every note’s position in the scale with the tonic being one: I. Here are a few bars from Schubert’s Ecossaise No. 8, D. 299. Underneath the music, the Roman Numerals tell us what the chord progression is.
Skoove
skoove.com › magazine › music theory › learn quarter, half, and whole notes easily
Learn quarter, half, and whole notes easily | Skoove
July 4, 2025 - Learn the basics of quarter, half, and whole notes in music. This guide helps you understand note durations and how they shape rhythm in music.