Eb138.891 Hz

Eb1 (E-flat 1) is 38.891 Hz in standard equal temperament at A=440 Hz. It is MIDI note number 27.

Eb1 Frequency in All Tuning Systems

Temperament Frequency (Hz) Cents from Equal Common Usage
Equal Temperament 38.891 Hz 0.00 Modern standard; piano, fretted instruments
Pythagorean 38.628 Hz -11.75 Medieval/early music; string ensemble open fifths
Just Intonation (Major) 39.244 Hz +15.64 A cappella vocal, barbershop, Renaissance
Just Intonation (Minor) 39.244 Hz +15.64 Minor-key vocal music, string ensembles
Quarter-Comma Meantone 39.355 Hz +20.53 Renaissance keyboard, early Baroque organ
Third-Comma Meantone 39.511 Hz +27.38 Renaissance vocal music in minor keys
Sixth-Comma Meantone 39.200 Hz +13.70 Baroque orchestral ensemble compromise
Werckmeister III 39.200 Hz +13.70 Baroque keyboard; Bach contemporaries
Werckmeister IV 38.935 Hz +1.96 Baroque keyboard, strong key contrast
Werckmeister V 38.979 Hz +3.91 Specialized Baroque keyboard
Kirnberger III 39.200 Hz +13.70 Classical-era keyboard, keys near C major
Vallotti 39.067 Hz +7.82 Baroque/Classical orchestral tuning
Young (1799) 39.111 Hz +9.77 Classical-era keyboard
Bach/Lehman 38.979 Hz +3.91 Bach keyboard works, Well-Tempered Clavier
Neidhardt 38.979 Hz +3.91 18th century keyboard, near-equal alternative
Kellner (Bach) 39.146 Hz +11.31 Bach keyboard reconstruction

Positive cents = sharper than equal temperament. Negative cents = flatter. 100 cents = 1 semitone.

Eb1 at Different Concert Pitches

The same note varies in frequency depending on the concert pitch standard used by your ensemble.

Concert Pitch Frequency (Hz) Common Usage
A = 440 Hz (ISO standard) 38.891 Hz US, UK, and most modern ensembles worldwide
A = 442 Hz 39.068 Hz Many European orchestras; France, Germany
A = 443 Hz 39.156 Hz Berlin Philharmonic; some US orchestras
A = 432 Hz 38.184 Hz Alternative tuning; Baroque revival
A = 415 Hz (Baroque) 36.681 Hz Historically-informed Baroque performance

f = f_at_A440 × (concert_pitch / 440)

Instruments That Play Eb1

Eb1 (38.891 Hz) falls within the comfortable playing range of 7 instruments.

Eb1 and D#1 — Enharmonic Equivalents

Eb1 and D#1 are enharmonic equivalents — they sound identical at 38.891 Hz but are written differently depending on the musical context.

Eb1: E♭ appears as the tonic of E♭ major and is prominent in flat key signatures. Common key signatures: E♭ major, A♭ major, B♭ major.

D#1: D♯ appears in sharp key signatures and is the leading tone in E major. Common key signatures: B major, F♯ major, C♯ major.

Enharmonic equivalents share the same frequency in equal temperament. In historical temperaments like Pythagorean or meantone, they may differ slightly.

Why Eb1 Varies Across Tuning Systems

Eb1 shows a maximum deviation of +27.38 cents in Third-Comma Meantone compared to equal temperament. This 27-cent difference is clearly audible to trained musicians and reflects how different tuning philosophies prioritize interval purity over equal distribution.

In Third-Comma Meantone, Eb1 is tuned sharper than equal temperament to achieve purer intervals with nearby notes in the tuning system's favored keys.

9 of the 15 non-equal temperaments deviate by more than 10 cents for Eb1, making this note one where tuning system choice has a meaningful impact on pitch.

Eb1 Across All Tuning Systems

Explore how Eb1 is tuned in each historical temperament system. Each tuning system gives Eb1 a slightly different frequency, affecting the harmonic character of chords and melodies.

Tune Eb1 with precision — Get Tunable.

Tunable supports 15+ tuning systems including equal temperament, Pythagorean, just intonation, and historical well-temperaments. See exact Hz values in real-time as you play.