# Average pitch of the vuvuzelas **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 13, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059 "2010-06-13T22:59:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/1 "2010-06-13T22:59:49Z")
When thousands of them are going off at the same time, I think the note is smack between A and A#. Does anyone have better pitch than me to confirm/correct? ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2010, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/2 "2010-06-13T23:44:21Z")
Played correctly (see [1:57](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrYb9qtO8OQ&feature=player_embedded) of this) it seems to be C#. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/3 "2010-06-14T03:41:59Z")
[Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela) says Bb for the standard 3’ long horn. I have actual pitch and that’s what I hear. BTW, thanks for the spelling. I heard the word on the radio and thought it was _booboozilla_. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/4 "2010-06-14T04:57:39Z")
If we consider a vuvuzela to be a tuba with a 1 meter tube length, then the fundamental tone would have a wavelength of 2 meters, which corresponds to a frequency of 172 Hz. Using the modern Western standard of A440, this would be between 4 and 5 half-steps below A an octave below middle A, or somewhere between E and F (I suspect that the instrument typically isn’t exactly a meter long, but calibrated to fall exactly on one of these two). But most players probably aren’t hitting the fundamental; the first or second harmonic is generally easier to blow. The first harmonic would be at double the fundamental, 343 Hz, and would likewise be an E or F, one octave higher. The second harmonic would be triple the fundamental, 515 Hz, which between two and three half-steps above middle A, which would put it somewhere between B and C. Or, going about it the other way, if as Wikipedia says the note is B flat, and if we assume that that’s the second harmonic, then that means that the length of the instrument should actually be 91 cm. A ten percent error is probably reasonable for trying to estimate the length from pictures, so that’s probably correct. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/5 "2010-06-14T05:21:58Z")
When thousands of them are going off at the same time, the pitch to me sounds like loud farts of people who don’t care about being obnoxious in a crowd. I think they should be rammed down the owners’ throats and then let them belch up the dulcet tones with their last gasp of air. Hopefully they do indeed ban these horrendous forms of sound pollution. Just my subtle opinion. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/6 "2010-06-14T05:57:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > If we consider a vuvuzela to be a tuba with a 1 meter tube length, then the fundamental tone would have a wavelength of 2 meters, which corresponds to a frequency of 172 Hz. This only error here is that instruments using a mouthpiece are closed tubes, not open. Which puts the fundamental at 4 meters/86 Hz. And only odd harmonics without lipping the tone. I wonder how consistent the lengths of these are (although if they’re mass-produced, for a given game or region they probably are). I’m slightly curious if the overall ‘effective’ tone is an average of a variety of tones or the majority of what’s actually being produced. Possibly skilled players even blow in tune with each other. ---
**Author:** ![panamajack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/47e85d/32.png) [@panamajack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panamajack)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/7 "2010-06-14T06:07:05Z")
Sorry, never mind about what I said. That only applies to a cylindrical tube, and from looking at it they may actually be conical, at least enough that they can produce harmonics like an open tube. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/8 "2010-06-14T19:43:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Sorry, never mind about what I said. That only applies to a cylindrical tube, and from looking at it they may actually be conical, at least enough that they can produce harmonics like an open tube. Hence why I said to consider it a tuba, not an organ pipe. ---
**Author:** ![Rrose\_Selavy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rrose\_Selavy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rrose_Selavy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/9 "2010-06-14T21:51:45Z")
> [@](#): > > A vuvuzela is tuned - to use the term loosely - at the B flat below middle C, and has a similar frequency to speech tones, says Trevor Cox, president of the Institute of Acoustics. This makes it particularly tricky for broadcasters to tune out, as to do so would dampen the commentators’ voices - and not in a good way. > > Here’s one solution… > “I’m looking at its wave patterns and there are at least six very strong harmonics in there. It would sound really horrible to notch these out - if one coincides with the vowel sound e, you won’t be able to hear the -es in the commentary. It would sound unnatural.” > > To “notch out” is sound engineer speak for making a sound filter to block a certain frequency. > **[BBC News - Can you block out the blare of vuvuzelas?](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8738604.stm)** > > The one-note drone of massed plastic horns is the soundtrack to the 2010 World Cup. A ban is out of the question, so is it possible to block out the over-vuvuzealous parping? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/10 "2010-06-14T21:54:49Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > When thousands of them are going off at the same time, the pitch to me sounds like loud farts of people who don’t care about being obnoxious in a crowd. > I think they should be rammed down the owners’ throats and then let them belch up the dulcet tones with their last gasp of air. > Hopefully they do indeed ban these horrendous forms of sound pollution. > Just my subtle opinion. The true _sound_ of the vuvuzela is that of me turning the station. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/11 "2010-06-14T22:07:27Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Played correctly (see [1:57](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrYb9qtO8OQ&feature=player_embedded) of this) it seems to be C#. Good lord, that little one at about 1:20 sounds exactly like a newborn crying. I think my milk let down (and I haven’t breastfed in 4 years!) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/12 "2010-06-14T23:28:31Z")
Whoa, is this still the Dope? I make a math mistake, and it goes unnoticed for seven posts? What’s this place coming to? > [@](#): > > Or, going about it the other way, if as Wikipedia says the note is B flat, and if we assume that that’s the second harmonic, then that means that the length of the instrument should actually be 91 cm. A ten percent error is probably reasonable for trying to estimate the length from pictures, so that’s probably correct. That should actually be 110 cm. I had a division upside-down, and only got an answer so close to the correct one because I was working in meters. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2010, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/13 "2010-06-14T23:46:53Z")
> [@Rrose\_Selavy](#): > > [BBC News - Can you block out the blare of vuvuzelas?](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8738604.stm) I love some of the comments on that article. > [@](#): > > Why not just run some stock crowd noise from a completely different international in the background (no vuvuzelas of course) and hope nobody notices. > … > After being kept up til 1.30am on Sun (from midday) by some football/beer hyped neighbours, who had both a very loud karaoke PA system in the garden, and several vuvuzelas, I can’t say I am particularly partial to them… Another neighbour gave his grandchildren some to blare early on Sunday morning. A small form of social justice/revenge, but I’d rather not be in the middle of it. > … > More importantly though, is there a way to cancel out the moans of the massed ranks of vuvuzela haters? ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2010, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/14 "2010-06-15T18:25:23Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > When thousands of them are going off at the same time, the pitch to me sounds like loud farts of people who don’t care about being obnoxious in a crowd. > I think they should be rammed down the owners’ throats and then let them belch up the dulcet tones with their last gasp of air. > Hopefully they do indeed ban these horrendous forms of sound pollution. > Just my subtle opinion. i hope this post gets consideration for end-of-year props… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2010, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/average-pitch-of-the-vuvuzelas/543059/15 "2010-06-17T01:51:20Z")
> [@DMark](#): > > When thousands of them are going off at the same time, the pitch to me sounds like loud farts of people who don’t care about being obnoxious in a crowd. > I think they should be rammed down the owners’ throats and then let them belch up the dulcet tones with their last gasp of air. > **Hopefully they do indeed ban these horrendous forms of sound pollution.** > Just my subtle opinion. According to [an article](http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8737455.stm) I read Monday, they have no intention of banning them. It’s too bad, because watching a game that seems to take place in a hive full of angry bees is not too appealing.