What are cents in music?
José Rodríguez Alvira
How do we measure musical intervals?
The notes of the major third C-E (C4 or middle C to E4) have these frequencies:
| Note | Frequency |
|---|---|
| C4 (middle C) | 260 Hertz |
| E4 | 325 Hertz |
Frequency measures the number of times per second a sound vibrates. Hertz is the unit of measure.
We may think that the difference in frequencies determines the size of the interval:
325 - 260 = 65
However, this is not correct. The same notes one octave lower, give a different result despite being the same interval:
| Note | Frequency |
|---|---|
| C3 | 130 Hertz |
| E3 | 162.5 Hertz |
162.5 - 130 = 32.5
Therefore, there is another mathematical operation that we must use to measure musical intervals correctly.
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