B, also known as H, Si or Ti, is the seventh note of the solfège. It lies a chromatic semitone below C and is thus the enharmonic equivalent of C-flat.
When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle B (B4) is approximately 493.883 Hz. See pitch (music) for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.
| Scientific designation |
Helmholtz designation |
Octave name | Frequency (Hz) |
|---|---|---|---|
| B−1 | B͵͵͵ or ͵͵͵B | Subsubcontra | 15.434 |
| B0 | B͵͵ or ͵͵B | Subcontra | 30.868 |
| B1 | B͵ or ͵B | Contra | 61.735 |
| B2 | B | Great | 123.471 |
| B3 | b | Small | 246.942 |
| B4 | b′ | One-lined | 493.883 |
| B5 | b′′ | Two-lined | 987.767 |
| B6 | b′′′ | Three-lined | 1975.533 |
| B7 | b′′′′ | Four-lined | 3951.066 |
| B8 | b′′′′′ | Five-lined | 7902.133 |
| B9 | b′′′′′′ | Six-lined | 15804.266 |
The referent of the musical note B varies by location. See note for a discussion on other differences in letter naming of the notes.
In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Netherlands, as described above, B usually refers to the note a semitone below C, while B-flat refers to the note a whole tone below C.
However, in Germany, Central and Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia, the label B is used for what, above, is called B-flat, and the note a semitone below C is called H. This makes possible certain spellings which are otherwise impossible, such as the BACH motif.
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