What does it mean by D4, C5, etc?
C4 is the term used for "middle C", or the fourth C on a standard 88-key piano. A letter followed by the number 4 is part of that C4 octave - C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, A4, B4. The note directly above B4 is C5 and so on. The C one octave below "middle C" is C3 and so on.

What is a step?
A step is an interval of two semitones; for example, C4-D4 is one step. A half-step is halfway between two tones; for example, G4-G#4 is one half-step. F4-G#4 is one and a half steps. E-F and B-C are both half-steps, making 12 semitones to an octave (or 6 steps).

What does it mean when a letter is followed by "#" or "b"?
The "#" symbol is used to denote "sharp" (or a half-step above), while "b" is used for "flat" (or a half-step below). On a standard piano, these are the black keys.

Why do some notes have more than one name, such as "A#/Bb"?
When a note is sharp to one letter, it is flat to the next. A# is the same as Bb, C# is the same as Db, etc.

Does this include songs that the contestants have sung outside of American Idol?
No, this only takes into account the songs that each contestant has been shown singing on American Idol and is not an exact measurement of any of their entire vocal ranges. It is merely a measurement of the vocal ranges displayed on the show.

Are head voice/falsetto notes taken into account for the range standings?
No. In order to keep the comparisons consistent, head voice/falsetto are not included for the range standings, as not all contestants use head voice or falsetto. These notes are included in a separate "highest note" ranking and on the contestants' individual pages.

What about group performances?
For group performances, only solos will be taken into account to minimize possibility of error.

On contestants' pages, what does it mean when there is an asterisk (*) next to a note?
This means that a higher note was hit in head voice/falsetto and to refer to the bottom of the page.

I know that a certain contestant sang in head voice/falsetto in a song, but it is not listed at the bottom of that contestant's page. Why?
It is only listed if the highest note of the song is affected by the use of head voice/falsetto.


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