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Pitch Interval in Cents

Measures the size of a musical interval in cents.

Formula

c = 1200 \log_2\!\left(\frac{f_2}{f_1}\right)

Variables

cInterval (cents)

f_1Lower frequency (Hz)

f_2Higher frequency (Hz)

Example

f_2/f_1 = 1.5 (perfect fifth): c ≈ 702 cents

Did You Know?

There are 1200 cents in an octave and 100 in a semitone; trained ears can detect differences of about 5 cents.

music cents interval tuning

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