196 Hz is the open third string of a guitar in standard tuning, and the lowest string of a violin and a mandolin. It is the one guitar string that is a major third, not a fourth, below the string above it.
Which note 196 Hz is at other reference pitches
“In tune” depends on what A4 is tuned to, so the same frequency is a slightly different distance from the nearest note in each tuning.
| Reference | Nearest note | That note | 196 Hz is |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 = 440 Hz · Standard (ISO 16) | G3 | 196.00 Hz | exactly on it |
| A4 = 432 Hz · “Verdi” pitch | G3 | 192.43 Hz | +31.8¢ |
| A4 = 442 Hz · Orchestral | G3 | 196.89 Hz | −7.8¢ |
| A4 = 415 Hz · Baroque pitch | A♭3 | 195.85 Hz | +1.3¢ |
Octaves of 196 Hz
Doubling a frequency raises it an octave and halving lowers it one, so these all have the same note name.
Harmonics of 196 Hz
A real instrument playing 196 Hz also sounds whole-number multiples of it. The first eight, and the notes they fall nearest:
| Harmonic | Frequency | Nearest note | Off by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 196.00 Hz | G3 | 0¢ |
| 2 | 392.00 Hz | G4 | 0¢ |
| 3 | 588.00 Hz | D5 | +2.0¢ |
| 4 | 784.00 Hz | G5 | 0¢ |
| 5 | 980.00 Hz | B5 | −13.7¢ |
| 6 | 1176.0 Hz | D6 | +2.0¢ |
| 7 | 1372.0 Hz | F6 | −31.2¢ |
| 8 | 1568.0 Hz | G6 | 0¢ |
Period and wavelength
One cycle of 196 Hz lasts 5.102 milliseconds; in air at 20 °C, where sound travels at about 343 metres a second, one wavelength is 1.75 metres.