F is a musical note, the fourth above C or fifth below C. It is the fourth note and the sixth semitone of the solfège. It is also known as fa in fixed-do solfège. It is enharmonic equivalent with E♯ (E-sharp) and G (G-double flat), amongst others.
When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle F (F4) is approximately 349.228 Hz. See pitch (music) for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.
Designation by octave
| Scientific designation | Helmholtz designation | Octave name | Frequency (Hz) | MIDI note number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F−1 | F͵͵͵ or ͵͵͵F or FFFF | Octocontra | 10.913 | 5 |
| F0 | F͵͵ or ͵͵F or FFF | Subcontra | 21.827 | 17 |
| F1 | F͵ or ͵F or FF | Contra | 43.654 | 29 |
| F2 | F | Great | 87.307 | 41 |
| F3 | f | Small | 174.614 | 53 |
| F4 | f′ | One-lined | 349.228 | 65 |
| F5 | f′′ | Two-lined | 698.456 | 77 |
| F6 | f′′′ | Three-lined | 1396.913 | 89 |
| F7 | f′′′′ | Four-lined | 2793.826 | 101 |
| F8 | f′′′′′ | Five-lined | 5587.652 | 113 |
| F9 | f′′′′′′ | Six-lined | 11175.303 | 125 |
| F10 | f′′′′′′′ | Seven-lined | 22350.607 | N/A |
Scales
Common scales beginning on F
- F major: F G A B♭ C D E F
- F natural minor: F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F
- F harmonic minor: F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E F
- F melodic minor ascending: F G A♭ B♭ C D E F
- F melodic minor descending: F E♭ D♭ C B♭ A♭ G F
Diatonic scales
- F Ionian: F G A B♭ C D E F
- F Dorian: F G A♭ B♭ C D E♭ F
- F Phrygian: F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F
- F Lydian: F G A B C D E F
- F Mixolydian: F G A B♭ C D E♭ F
- F Aeolian: F G A♭ B♭ C D♭ E♭ F
- F Locrian: F G♭ A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F
Jazz melodic minor
- F ascending melodic minor: F G A♭ B♭ C D E F
- F Dorian ♭2: F G♭ A♭ B♭ C D E♭ F
- F Lydian augmented: F G A B C♯ D E F
- F Lydian dominant: F G A B C D E♭ F
- F Mixolydian ♭6: F G A B♭ C D♭ E♭ F
- F Locrian ♮2: F G A♭ B♭ C♭ D♭ E♭ F
- F altered: F G♭ A♭ B C♭ D♭ E♭ F
E-sharp
E♯ (German: Eis)5 is a common enharmonic equivalent of F, but is not regarded as the same note. E♯ is commonly found before F♯ in the same measure in pieces where F♯ is in the key signature, in order to represent a diatonic, rather than a chromatic semitone; writing an F♮ with a following F♯ is regarded as a chromatic alteration of one scale degree. Though E♯ and F♮ sound the same in any 12-tone temperament, other tunings may define them as distinct pitches.
Sources
- Demorest, Steven M. (2001). Building Choral Excellence: Teaching Sight-Singing in the Choral Rehearsal. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512462-0.
- Griffiths, Paul (7 October 2004). The Penguin Companion to Classical Music. Penguin UK. ISBN 9780141909769.
- Zundel, John (1848). The Complete Melodeon Instructor, in Seven Parts: Designed as a Thorough Instruction Book for the Melodeon, Seraphine, Eolican, Melopean, Organ, Or Any Similar Instrument. O. Ditson.
See also
References
Demorest (2001, p. 46) - Demorest, Steven M. (2001). Building Choral Excellence: Teaching Sight-Singing in the Choral Rehearsal. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-512462-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=8zAIcx-t2koC&pg=PA46 ↩
Griffiths (2004, p. 617) - Griffiths, Paul (7 October 2004). The Penguin Companion to Classical Music. Penguin UK. ISBN 9780141909769. https://books.google.com/books?id=04vDuG_pElwC ↩
Zundel (1848, p. 24) - Zundel, John (1848). The Complete Melodeon Instructor, in Seven Parts: Designed as a Thorough Instruction Book for the Melodeon, Seraphine, Eolican, Melopean, Organ, Or Any Similar Instrument. O. Ditson. https://books.google.com/books?id=IrgsAAAAYAAJ ↩
Suits, B. H. (1998). "Physics of Music Notes - Scales: Just vs Equal Temperament". MTU.edu. Michigan Technological University. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20231127155251/https://pages.mtu.edu/~suits/scales.html ↩
Griffiths (2004, p. 399) - Griffiths, Paul (7 October 2004). The Penguin Companion to Classical Music. Penguin UK. ISBN 9780141909769. https://books.google.com/books?id=04vDuG_pElwC ↩