The seventh octave is the highest
octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
of a
piano
The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...
.
Using
middle C
C or Do is the first note and semitone of the C major scale, the third note of the A minor scale (the relative minor of C major), and the fourth note (G, A, B, C) of the Guidonian hand, commonly pitched around 261.63 Hz. The actual fre ...
(C4) as a guide, the next higher C is C5 or tenor C. The next C is C6 or soprano high C. The next C, C7 or double high C, is again one octave higher. C7 is eight steps away from the last note on the 88-key piano:
C8. C7 is also the highest note on most other keyboard instruments. The seventh octave is the range of notes between C7 and C8. It is easier for very high
coloratura
Coloratura is an elaborate melody with runs, trills, wide leaps, or similar virtuoso-like material,''Oxford American Dictionaries''.Apel (1969), p. 184. or a passage of such music. Operatic roles in which such music plays a prominent part, a ...
sopranos to sing in this octave, but some people who are capable of singing in the bass range (like singers
Adam Lopez, Virgo Degan,
Nicola Sedda or
Dimash Kudaibergen
Dinmuhammed Kanatuly Kudaibergen ( kk, Дінмұхаммед Қанатұлы Құдайберген, ''Dınmūhammed Qanatūly Qūdaibergen''), born 24 May 1994, known professionally as Dimash Qudaibergen, is a Kazakh singer, songwriter, and m ...
) can do it. While notes in the sixth octave, between soprano high C and C7, can have enough color to sound flutey or canary-like, the squeaky, whistly tones in the seventh octave help give the
whistle register its name, as do the piercing qualities of notes in this octave.
Pitch (music)
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