Online pitch pipe for singers: tap a note, hear it
All twelve notes of a chromatic pitch pipe, in your browser. Tap for a short note, press and hold to keep it sounding. Pick a song's key below and it plays your starting note and the chord that sets the key.
On a keyboard: A W S E D F T G Y H U J play C up to B, K is the C above. Z and X move the octave.
Plays the chord of the key, then holds the key note so everyone can find it.
About to sing? Warm up first. The routine builder gives you a timed warm-up with a reference tone for every exercise.
Build my warm-upHow to use a pitch pipe to find your starting note
- Find the key. It's at the top of the sheet music, as the key signature, or written on the chord chart. A song "in G" starts from G.
- Play the key note. Tap it on the pipe above, or pick the key in "Give me my starting note" and let it play the chord first.
- Hum it before you sing it. Hum the note quietly for a couple of seconds. It's easier to lock onto a pitch with your mouth closed.
- Find your first note from there. Most songs start on the key note, the third or the fifth. If the first word doesn't sit on the note you hummed, sing up or down the scale from it until it does.
- Check yourself halfway. Unaccompanied singers drift, usually flat. Play the key note again at the end of a verse and see how far you've moved.
Not sure which octave suits you? Middle is right for most women. The voice type test tells you if you lean higher or lower.
Using an online pitch pipe with a choir
Give the chord, not only the note
A single note tells people the key. The chord tells them the key and whether it's major or minor, which saves the altos guessing. The starting-note tool plays both.
Pick the octave for the section
Men hear a note in octave 4 and sing it an octave down anyway. Set "Tenors and basses" and the tool plays their note where they sing it, so nobody has to translate.
Hold it while they find it
Tick "Keep sounding" and the note stays on until you tap it again. Useful when a section needs a few seconds to settle.
Phone speaker, held up
A phone speaker is small, so hold it at chest height facing the group. Pipe and Piano cut through a room better than Pure.
Pitch pipe questions
What is a pitch pipe?
A pitch pipe is a small instrument that plays one reference note at a time, so singers and choirs can find their starting pitch without a piano. The round chromatic kind has all twelve notes. This page does the same job in your browser.
How do I use a pitch pipe for singing?
Find the key of the song, play that note, and hum it quietly before you sing. Most songs start on the key note, the third or the fifth, so if your first note is different, sing up or down the scale from the note you hummed until you land on it.
Is this online pitch pipe free?
Yes. It runs in your browser with nothing to install and no account. Nothing is recorded.
What octave should I use?
Middle (octave 4) suits most women. Sopranos may prefer High, altos and contraltos Low. Tenors and basses usually sing an octave below what a woman sings, which is why the starting-note tool has its own option for them.
Why does the note sound different from my pitch pipe?
A reed pitch pipe has a buzzy, bright tone. The Pipe sound here is modelled to be close, Piano is softer, and Pure is a plain sine tone. All three play the same pitch, tuned to A = 440 Hz.
Which pitch pipe should I buy?
If you lead a choir and want something in your pocket, a chromatic pitch pipe that covers C to C is the standard. If you already carry a phone, a browser pitch pipe like this one does the same job and never needs a new reed.
Next step for your voice: find your vocal range · build a warm-up
More free tools for your voice