Pitch has a direction.
Move upward from 250 Hz to 500 Hz, then to 1 kHz. Each doubling is an octave. The spacing on this logarithmic scale stays the same, while the tone gets higher.
Find your
frequency.
From a low pulse to a fine whistle. Explore pitch, compare waveforms and their harmonics, then train your ear in two listening challenges.
01 / Tone explorer20 Hz — 20 kHz
SINE / ONE FREQUENCY
Mid
Try comparing a few tones here. A pure tone is much simpler than a voice or an instrument.
The first eight harmonicsRELATIVE AMPLITUDE / ILLUSTRATION
A sine wave has one frequency. The first bar is the fundamental; higher harmonic positions are empty.
Audio is off
Start with your device volume low. Each tone lasts 1.6 seconds; Escape stops it. Changing a setting also stops playback. Waveforms have different perceived loudness; this comparison is not loudness matched. Use arrow keys for small steps, Page Up/Down for larger steps, and Home/End for the limits. The slider is logarithmic: equal distances represent equal frequency ratios.
What you hear depends on your listening level, your ears and your playback system. Some low or high tones may be inaudible. Leave the volume low instead of trying to force them into hearing. This is a listening exercise, not a hearing test.
02 / A small listening challengeListen first.
Listen first.
Then place it.
A hidden tone plays for a moment. Choose its region or frequency, depending on your exercise. You can replay it before choosing; the frequency appears after your answer.
Begin with three separated regions. When those feel familiar, try six fixed frequency anchors. Both exercises use sine tones so you can concentrate on pitch.
Low80–220 Hz
Mid350 Hz–1.6 kHz
High2.5–6.5 kHz
Listen for the region: low, mid or high.
Play a tone when you’re ready. Nothing starts automatically.
A fresh pair of ears. No score yet.
A coordinate,
not a recipe.
A record is more complex.
Switch from sine to triangle, sawtooth or square at the same frequency. The fundamental stays in place while the harmonic balance changes. Instruments contain changing combinations of fundamentals, harmonics and noise. A tone you recognize here is only one piece of a recording.
Listen before reaching for EQ.
Words such as warmth, presence and air can help a conversation, but they are not fixed EQ instructions. Compare a short phrase, change one thing and judge it in the whole mix.
About this exercise: tones are generated locally in your browser; no microphone or account is used. Scores last for this visit only. The waveform and harmonic bars are mathematical illustrations, not measurements. Harmonics at or above half your device’s sample rate are omitted by the browser oscillator. All quiz rounds use a sine tone. Browser audio behavior follows MDN’s Web Audio guidance and oscillator waveform reference.