
In Germany, Russia, Poland and Scandinavia, this pitch is designated B, with 'H' used to designate the B- natural. While orchestras tune to an A provided by the oboist, wind ensembles usually tune to a B-flat provided by a tuba, horn, or clarinet. See pitch (music) for a discussion of historical variations in frequency. When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of the B ♭ above middle C is approximately 466.164 Hz. B-flat is also enharmonic to C (C-double flat).

It lies a diatonic semitone above A and a chromatic semitone below B, thus being enharmonic to A ♯, even though in some musical tunings, B ♭ will have a different sounding pitch than A ♯. B ♭ ( B-flat), or, in some European countries, B, is the eleventh step of the Western chromatic scale (starting from C).
