Category Archives: Sound

Adaptations and Misinformations

Wikipedia tells me that my dial tone is two overlapping tones:

One tone sounds at 350 Hz.

The other tone sounds at 440 Hz.

Together they sound like this.

Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper, acting, claimed (implicitly) that the dial tone was this.

However, after careful research, I discovered that, while Chris Cooper is humming a note around 350 Hz, Meryl Streep is humming a note closer to this.

That’s about 276 Hz or about a C#/Db!¹

Movies, I’m through believing everything you do!

Music Reference

VOCAL Approximate Frequency Range
Soprano 250Hz - 1K
Contralto 200Hz - 700Hz
Baritone 110Hz - 425Hz
Bass 80Hz - 350Hz
WOODWIND  
Piccolo 630Hz - 5K
Flute 250Hz - 2.5K
Oboe 250Hz - 1.5K
Clarinet (B flat or A) 125Hz - 2K
Clarinet (E flat) 200Hz - 2K
Bass Clarinet 75Hz - 800Hz
Basset Horn 90Hz - 1K
Cor Anglais 160Hz - 1K
Bassoon 55Hz - 575Hz
Double Bassoon 25Hz - 200Hz
Soprano Saxophone 225Hz - 1K
Alto Saxophone 125Hz - 900Hz
Tenor Saxophone 110Hz - 630Hz
Baritone Saxophone 70Hz - 450Hz
Bass Saxophone 55Hz - 315Hz
BRASS  
Trumpet (C) 170Hz - 1K
Trumpet (F) 300Hz - 1K
Alto Trombone 110Hz - 630Hz
Tenor Trombone 80Hz - 600Hz
Bass Trombone 63Hz - 400Hz
Tuba 45Hz - 375Hz
Valve Horn 63Hz - 700Hz
STRINGS  
Violin 200Hz - 3.5K
Viola 125Hz -1K
Cello 63Hz - 630Hz
Double Bass 40Hz - 200Hz
Guitar 80Hz - 630Hz
KEYBOARDS  
Piano 28Hz - 4.1K
Organ 20Hz - 7K
PERCUSSION  
Celeste 260Hz - 3.5K
Timpani 90Hz - 180Hz
Glockenspiel 63Hz - 180Hz
Xylophone 700Hz - 3.5K
Continue reading Music Reference