B, also known as Si, Ti, or, in some European countries, H, is the seventh

note Note, notes, or NOTE may refer to: Music and entertainment * Musical note, a pitched sound (or a symbol for a sound) in music * ''Notes'' (album), a 1987 album by Paul Bley and Paul Motian * ''Notes'', a common (yet unofficial) shortened version ...

and the twelfth

semitone A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent no ...

of the fixed-Do solfège. Its enharmonic equivalents are C (C-flat) and A (A-double sharp). When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the

frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...

of Middle B (B₄) is approximately 493.883 Hz. See

pitch (music) Pitch is a perceptual property of sounds that allows their ordering on a frequency-related scale, or more commonly, pitch is the quality that makes it possible to judge sounds as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodi ...

for a discussion of historical variations in frequency.

Designation by octave

Scales

Common scales beginning on B

* B major: B C D E F G A B * B natural minor: B C D E F G A B * B

Harmonic minor In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which also ...

: B C D E F G A B * B

Melodic minor In music theory, the minor scale is three scale patterns – the natural minor scale (or Aeolian mode), the harmonic minor scale, and the melodic minor scale (ascending or descending) – rather than just two as with the major scale, which al ...

ascending: B C D E F G A B * B melodic minor descending: B A G F E D C B

Diatonic scales

* B Ionian: B C D E F G A B * B Dorian: B C D E F G A B * B Phrygian: B C D E F G A B * B Lydian: B C D E F G A B * B

Mixolydian Mixolydian mode may refer to one of three things: the name applied to one of the ancient Greek ''harmoniai'' or ''tonoi'', based on a particular octave species or scale; one of the medieval church modes; or a modern musical mode or diatonic scal ...

: B C D E F G A B * B Aeolian: B C D E F G A B * B Locrian: B C D E F G A B

Jazz melodic minor

* B Ascending melodic minor: B C D E F G A B * B Dorian ♭2: B C D E F G A B * B Lydian augmented: B C D E F G A B * B Lydian dominant: B C D E F G A B * B Mixolydian ♭6: B C D E F G A B * B Locrian ♮2: B C D E F G A B * B Altered: B C D E F G A B

Variation of meaning by geographical region

The referent of the musical note B varies by location. See for a discussion on other differences in letter naming of the notes. In the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and the Netherlands, as described above, B usually refers to the note a

below C, while B-flat refers to the note a

whole tone In Western music theory, a major second (sometimes also called whole tone or a whole step) is a second spanning two semitones (). A second is a musical interval encompassing two adjacent staff positions (see Interval number for more det ...

below C. However, in Germany, Central and

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...

, and

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, the label B is sometimes used for what, above, is called B-flat, and the note a

below C is called H. This makes possible certain spellings which are otherwise impossible, such as the BACH motif and the

DSCH motif DSCH is a musical motif used by the composer Dmitri Shostakovich to represent himself. It is a musical cryptogram in the manner of the BACH motif, consisting of the notes ''D, E-flat, C, B natural'', or in German musical notation ''D, Es, C, H' ...