Reading small pitch differences in cents

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Tuning and pitch systems

A cent divides an octave into 1200 equal-ratio intervals. In twelve-tone equal temperament, a semitone is 100 cents. Cents describe a ratio between frequencies, not an absolute number of hertz, which makes them useful when comparing small deviations in different registers.

A tuner may show a positive value above its target and a negative one below it. That target still depends on a reference and tuning system. Expressive vibrato and traditional intonation cannot always be judged as errors against one fixed centre.

Example

+25 cents is one quarter of an equal-tempered semitone, not 25 Hz.

Try it

How many cents are in an equal-tempered whole tone?

Related topics

References

Frequency and Pitch of Sound

Subject-expert review pending.