C1 Frequency in Hz
C1 is 32.70 Hz in twelve tone equal temperament with A4 at the standard 440 Hz. It is MIDI note 24, piano key 4 of 88, and its wavelength in room-temperature air is about 10.49 m.
C1 sits in the deep bass, the register of a double bass, tuba or pedal organ. Every number on this page is calculated from one formula rather than copied from a table, so the values here agree exactly with the full note frequency chart and with what the chromatic tuner reads back from your microphone.
How is the frequency of C1 calculated?
Twelve tone equal temperament divides the octave into twelve equal ratios. Each semitone multiplies the frequency by the twelfth root of two, about 1.059463, so twelve semitones multiply it by exactly two and you land one octave higher. Fix one note as the anchor and the rest follow. The anchor is A4, and the modern standard puts it at 440 Hz, which is what ISO 16 specifies as the standard tuning frequency.
Written as a formula, the frequency of MIDI note m is 440 x 2^((m - 69) / 12), because A4 is MIDI note 69. For C1 that is 440 x 2^((24 - 69) / 12) = 440 x 2^(-3.7500) = 32.70 Hz. That is 45 semitones below the reference.
What is C1 at other tuning references?
A4 at 440 Hz is the standard, not a law. Historical pitch was lower, and plenty of modern ensembles tune a little higher because a raised pitch is often described as sounding brighter in a large hall. Rebasing the same formula gives these values for C1.
| Reference A4 | C1 in Hz | Difference | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 415 Hz | 30.85 | -1.86 Hz | Baroque pitch, roughly a semitone below modern A |
| 432 Hz | 32.11 | -0.59 Hz | Alternative tuning used by some players, not a standard |
| 435 Hz | 32.33 | -0.37 Hz | Diapason normal, the 19th century French standard |
| 440 Hz | 32.70 | reference | Modern concert pitch, the ISO 16 standard |
| 442 Hz | 32.85 | +0.15 Hz | Common in many central European orchestras |
| 443 Hz | 32.93 | +0.22 Hz | Used by some ensembles that want a brighter sound |
Changing the reference multiplies every note by the same ratio, so intervals stay identical and only the absolute pitch moves.
What is C1 in every octave?
Moving up an octave doubles the frequency and moving down halves it, which is the one relationship in tuning that needs no calculator. Here is C across the full chart range.
| Note | Hz | MIDI | Piano key |
|---|---|---|---|
| C0 | 16.35 | 12 | - |
| C1 | 32.70 | 24 | 4 |
| C2 | 65.41 | 36 | 16 |
| C3 | 130.81 | 48 | 28 |
| C4 | 261.63 | 60 | 40 |
| C5 | 523.25 | 72 | 52 |
| C6 | 1046.5 | 84 | 64 |
| C7 | 2093.0 | 96 | 76 |
| C8 | 4186.0 | 108 | 88 |
What are the harmonics of C1?
A real instrument playing C1 does not produce 32.70 Hz alone. It produces a fundamental plus a series of whole-number multiples, and the balance between them is what makes a violin sound different from a flute on the same note. The harmonics land close to familiar notes but not exactly on them, because the harmonic series is built on simple ratios while equal temperament is not.
| Harmonic | Hz | Nearest note | Cents off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 (fundamental) | 32.70 | C1 | 0 |
| 2 | 65.41 | C2 | 0 |
| 3 | 98.11 | G2 | +2 |
| 4 | 130.81 | C3 | 0 |
| 5 | 163.52 | E3 | -14 |
| 6 | 196.22 | G3 | +2 |
| 7 | 228.92 | A#3 | -31 |
| 8 | 261.63 | C4 | 0 |
The seventh harmonic is the famous outlier: it lands roughly 31 cents flat of the nearest equal-tempered note, which is why it sounds bluesy rather than in tune.
How do I tune to C1?
Play the note and watch the cents readout rather than the hertz readout, because cents are proportional and hertz are not. A tuner rounds to the nearest note, so anything from 31.77 Hz to 33.66 Hz is read as C1: that is the band fifty cents either side. Most players aim to land inside five cents, which for C1 is roughly 32.61 Hz to 32.80 Hz.
Use the tone generator to play 32.70 Hz as a reference and match it by ear, or open the chromatic tuner and let your microphone do the measuring. Its neighbours are B0 at 30.87 Hz below and C#1 at 34.65 Hz above, one semitone in each direction.
What intervals are built on C1?
| Interval above C1 | Note | Hz | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor third | D#1 | 38.89 | 1.1892 |
| Major third | E1 | 41.20 | 1.2599 |
| Perfect fourth | F1 | 43.65 | 1.3348 |
| Perfect fifth | G1 | 49.00 | 1.4983 |
| Octave | C2 | 65.41 | 2.0000 |
Ratios are the equal-tempered values. Pure just intonation would put the perfect fifth at exactly 1.5 and the major third at 1.25, which is why equal temperament thirds sound slightly wide.
What is the wavelength of C1?
Sound travels at roughly 343 m/s in dry air at 20 degrees Celsius, so a 32.70 Hz wave is about 10.488 m long, or 1048.8 cm. That matters for room acoustics: a wavelength that fits neatly between two parallel walls builds a standing wave, and it is also why a pipe or string producing C1 has the physical length it does. The speed of sound changes with temperature, so treat the figure as a good approximation rather than a constant.
Frequently asked questions
What is the frequency of C1 in Hz?
C1 is 32.70 Hz in twelve tone equal temperament with A4 set to the standard 440 Hz. The value comes from the formula 440 x 2^((m - 69) / 12), where m is the MIDI note number, which is 24 for C1.
What MIDI note number is C1?
C1 is MIDI note 24 when middle C is written C4, the scientific pitch notation used on this site. Software that follows the Yamaha convention labels the same MIDI number C0, one octave lower in name only. The pitch you hear is identical either way.
How far apart are C1 and the note a semitone above it?
One semitone up from C1 is 34.65 Hz, a difference of 1.94 Hz. Every semitone is the same ratio, the twelfth root of two or about 1.059463, so the gap in hertz grows as you move higher up the keyboard.
What is C1 at A4 = 442 Hz?
Rebasing the same formula on 442 Hz gives 32.85 Hz for C1, about 0.15 Hz higher than the 440 Hz value. Raising the reference shifts every note by the identical ratio, roughly 7.85 cents from 440 to 442.
Where is C1 on a piano?
C1 is key 4 of the 88 keys, counting from A0 at the far left. It is a white key and sits in the deep bass, the register of a double bass, tuba or pedal organ.