Temperature & pitch of wind instruments
How much a wind instrument's pitch shifts when the air temperature changes.
Hz
°C
°C
- Pitch at playing temperature
- 445.963Hz
- Change
- 23.3059cents
- Speed of sound at playing temperature
- 347.866m/s
The pitch of a wind instrument follows the speed of sound in its air column: about +3 cents per °C. String instruments and pianos behave differently (strings usually go flat as they warm). Players' breath warms the air column above room temperature.
How it works
The resonance of an air column is proportional to the speed of sound, which rises with temperature. Organs and wind sections tuned in a cold hall go sharp as it warms up.
Formulas
- f₂ = f₁ · c(T₂) / c(T₁)
- Δ = 1200 · log₂( c(T₂) / c(T₁) ) cents
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