Round chromatic · 13 notes, C to C
Online pitch pipe
Hold a note for your starting pitch, or play the chord. Works offline at rehearsal.
How to use it
- Tap a note for two seconds of it, or press and hold to keep it sounding until you let go. Chord, over the bar, plays that note's chord, and Sound plays the note again to give the pitch.
- The octave control moves the pipe by an octave. More has your songs with their keys, the sound, a louder pipe for a room, the chord's kind, another A4 (442 or 432 Hz, say), sharps or flats, and keeping a note sounding until you tap it again.
Giving the pitch
The usual routine in a choir or a barbershop quartet: whoever has the pipe sounds the song's key note, everyone hums it quietly, and each part slides from it to its own first note. Then the group starts together.
Hold the note longer than feels necessary: a group needs a second or two to hear it and settle. Sound it again before the last chord if you want to know how far the group drifted.
Starting notes by part: an example in F
Each part's first note is a note of the opening chord. Here is one common voicing of F major, the key note in the bass. Your song's first chord and voicing may differ: check the score.
| Part | First note | In the F major chord |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | F2 | The key note |
| Baritone | C3 | The fifth |
| Lead | A3 | The third |
| Tenor | C4 | The fifth, an octave higher |
C to C and F to F pipes
A round chromatic pipe has 13 reeds: the 12 notes of an octave plus the top note again, so you can turn it to any note without looking. This one is a C to C pipe, laid out the same way, C at the top going clockwise.
A C to C pipe starts its octave on C and an F to F pipe on F; choirs pick whichever puts the keys they sing most in easy reach. Here, the octave control moves the whole pipe instead.
Pitch pipe, tuning fork or tuner
A pitch pipe gives any of the 12 notes, so it starts a song in any key. A tuning fork gives one pure note, usually A, to tune by ear. A tuner listens and shows you how far off you are, which suits instruments more than a group that's about to sing.
Free tools by Stackapella
You've got the starting note. Now ring the chord.
Stackapella teaches you to sing harmony one part at a time, right in your browser.
- A guide sings your partHear your line over the others, slow it down, then take your turn.
- Your notes light upEach note shows where you landed, and a hint when to go up or down.
- Record every part yourselfStack your takes in time until you're the whole choir.
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Questions
How do you use a pitch pipe for singing?
Sound the song's key note and hold it while everyone hums it. Then each part finds its own first note from it. Here, press and hold a note for as long as the group needs, and sound it again before the last chord to hear how far you drifted.
How does a choir find its starting notes?
From the key note. Each section knows where its first note sits against it, and finds it by humming up or down from the key note. Chord, over the bar, plays the key's chord, so everyone can hear their note in it.
How do I give each part its own starting note?
Tap each part's note in turn, lowest part first, and let each section hum theirs back. Or sound the key chord with Chord and let each part find its note inside it.
What is the difference between a C to C and an F to F pitch pipe?
Only where the octave starts. Both are round chromatic pipes with 13 notes: a C to C pipe runs from C up to the C above, an F to F pipe from F up to F. This one is C to C, and its octave control moves it a whole octave down or up.
Why do barbershop and a cappella groups use a pitch pipe?
With no instrument playing, a group needs one reference note to start in the written key. A pipe gives it in a second, quietly, and fits in a pocket. Barbershop groups usually sound only the key note and find their parts from it.
What does the Chord button play?
The major chord of the last note you sounded, close above it, so the group hears the key. Under More it plays minor or a barbershop seventh instead, tuned pure so it rings, or tuned like a piano.
Can I tune a guitar or ukulele with a pitch pipe?
Yes, by ear: hold each string's note (E, A, D, G, B and E on a guitar; G, C, E and A on a ukulele) and turn the peg until the wobble between them stops. A tuner is quicker for instruments.
Can I change the reference pitch (A440, A442, A415)?
Yes, under More: step A4 a hertz at a time from 415 to 466, or pick a usual one (415, 430, 432, 440, 442, 443, 466). Every note on the pipe moves with it, and the pipe shows A4 when it isn't 440.
Does it work offline, without signal at the venue?
Yes. Once you've opened this page it works without a connection, and you can add it to your phone's home screen like an app. Your saved songs stay on that device.
Pitch pipe, tuning fork or tuner: which do I need?
A pitch pipe gives any starting note. A tuning fork gives one fixed note, usually A, as a pure tone. A tuner listens and shows how far off you are. To start a song, use a pipe; to tune an instrument, a tuner or a fork.
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