Pitch Matching Game
Listen to the reference, then start the microphone and match it. Feedback describes this attempt, not overall singing ability.
Microphone offUse one stable note in a quiet room; silence does not earn points.
Related tools
- Pitch Accuracy Checker — Compare voiced time with an explicit pitch target.
- Interval Ear Training — Practice recognizing distances between generated tones.
- Perfect Pitch Test — Practice pitch-class naming without a displayed reference.
Listen to a reference tone, then try to reproduce its pitch with your voice or another single-note source. The Pitch Matching Game shows your cents difference from a chosen target and the share of detected voiced time within ±25 cents. It is a short feedback exercise, not an overall measure of singing ability.
Play a matching attempt
- Choose a target MIDI note between 36 and 84, or use New target.
- Play reference and listen to the pitch at a comfortable level.
- Start the microphone and allow access.
- Hum or sing one comfortable note and adjust toward the reference.
- Read the signed cents difference and running in-tune share.
- Stop when finished and repeat deliberately.
Listen before starting to sing rather than trying to compete with the reference through speakers. The exercise is more informative when the microphone hears your voice clearly instead of hearing the reference tone as well.
Understand the target number
MIDI numbers identify musical pitches. C4 is 60, C3 is 48 and C5 is 72 under this page’s note convention. Each increment is one semitone, so a target of 62 is D4. The number is a pitch identifier, not a volume setting or a percentage difficulty.
Different software sometimes uses different octave labels for the same MIDI number. If a reference seems one octave away from your application’s label, compare the numerical pitch and frequency rather than the octave text alone.
The available range includes notes that may not be comfortable for every singer. Select an appropriate target rather than forcing a randomly chosen pitch. Use the Vocal Range Test to document comfortable endpoints if you need a practical starting range.
Read sharp and flat feedback
A positive cents value means above the target; a negative one means below. One semitone is 100 cents, so a value near +100 suggests approximately one semitone above the target rather than a small tuning adjustment.
The tolerance here is fixed at ±25 cents. A reading inside that window contributes detected voiced time to the in-tune share. A sound outside it remains detected input but does not count as within tolerance.
For example, if two of three usable voiced seconds are inside the window, the running share is about 66.7%. Silence is not an extra correctly matched period. This example explains the arithmetic rather than reporting a measured human attempt.
Match the octave as well as the pitch class
A3 and A4 share a letter name but are separated by 1,200 cents. If the target is A4 and you sing A3, you have matched the pitch class at another octave, not the full target pitch used by the measurement.
At the same time, a pitch tracker can follow a harmonic and display an octave error. If the result contradicts what you hear, use a clearer sustained tone and compare with a reference instrument. Do not keep forcing your voice upward merely to satisfy a doubtful reading.
Use feedback without losing the listening task
Try listening, imagining the note briefly and then singing before looking at the number. After checking the result, repeat the same target. This gives the feedback a clear role: confirming an attempt rather than replacing the act of listening.
Start with a comfortable note and a short sustained sound. Once that is easy, try another target nearby. A slow controlled comparison can be more useful than rapidly clicking through many notes without hearing why one attempt differed.
The tool does not know your intended technique, tone or musical style. Vibrato, bends and slides can move outside its narrow window even when they are deliberate. For a different exercise, choose a steady-tone task and interpret its result only within that task.
Choose another tool for another kind of pitch question
The Pitch Accuracy Checker adds selectable tolerances and an attempt table. The main Pitch Detector identifies an unknown live pitch without requiring a particular target.
The Interval Ear Training exercise asks you to recognize the distance between tones, while the Perfect Pitch Test asks for a pitch-class name. Reproducing a heard tone, naming a pitch and identifying an interval are related but distinct tasks.
Microphone and session limits
Use one clear source in a quiet room. A backing track, another singer or the reference playing into the microphone can interfere with the fundamental estimate. Permission, selected input and device audio processing can also affect whether usable readings appear.
Starting a new microphone attempt resets its running voiced-time comparison. The page does not provide a permanent skill ranking or a replay recording. Stop audio or capture when finished; the plugin processes input locally in memory rather than uploading it.
Frequently asked questions
Does silence improve my percentage?
No. The comparison uses detected voiced duration. Silence does not become a correctly matched note.
Can I change the tolerance?
This game uses ±25 cents. Use the separate Pitch Accuracy Checker for its selectable tolerance settings.
Does a low result mean I cannot sing?
No. It describes one device-based matching attempt, not technique, expression, musical ability or a clinical condition.
Can I play an instrument instead of singing?
A clear single-note instrument can be compared, provided the selected target and register suit the instrument and the microphone receives it clearly.