🎵 Note Interval Calculator
Calculate musical intervals between two notes with semitone counts and interval names
Your Result:
C → E = Major Third
4 semitones • Example calculation
🎼 Note Analysis
📊 Interval Properties
How to Use This Note Interval Calculator
The Note Interval Calculator helps you identify musical intervals between any two notes. Simply select your starting note and ending note to instantly see the interval name, semitone count, and music theory details.
- Select Starting Note: Choose the first note of your interval from the dropdown menu. This includes all 12 chromatic notes with both sharp and flat spellings.
- Select Ending Note: Pick the second note to complete your interval. The calculator works with any combination of the 12 chromatic notes.
- Choose Direction: Specify whether you want the ascending interval (up from start to end) or descending interval (down from start to end).
- Configure Options: Enable enharmonic equivalents to see alternative note spellings, and include music theory information for educational details.
- View Results: Get instant results showing the interval name, semitone count, interval quality, and scale degree information.
The tool provides comprehensive interval analysis including major/minor/perfect qualities, theoretical explanations, and visual representations to enhance your music theory understanding.
How It Works
Our Note Interval Calculator uses music theory principles to determine intervals between notes:
- Note Mapping: Each note is assigned a chromatic position (C=0, C#=1, D=2, etc.) to calculate semitone distances accurately.
- Interval Calculation: The tool computes the semitone difference between notes, accounting for ascending or descending direction.
- Quality Determination: Based on semitone count, the calculator determines if intervals are major, minor, perfect, augmented, or diminished.
- Name Assignment: Each semitone count corresponds to specific interval names (unison, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, octave).
- Enharmonic Handling: The tool recognizes equivalent notes (C# = Db) and provides alternative spellings when requested.
- Theory Integration: Additional context includes scale degrees, harmonic functions, and practical applications in music composition.
All calculations follow standard music theory conventions and provide results suitable for academic study, composition, and performance applications.
When You Might Need This
- • Music students learning interval recognition and theory
- • Composers determining harmonic intervals for chord progressions
- • Musicians transcribing music and identifying intervals by ear
- • Guitar players calculating fret distances for intervals
- • Piano students practicing interval identification on keyboard
- • Music teachers creating interval exercises and worksheets
- • Songwriters exploring melodic intervals for melody writing
- • Music theory students studying interval quality and names
- • Band members analyzing harmonic intervals in arrangements
- • Audio engineers understanding frequency relationships between notes
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between ascending and descending intervals?
Ascending intervals count up from the starting note to the ending note, while descending intervals count down. For example, C to E ascending is a major third (4 semitones up), while C to E descending would be a minor sixth (8 semitones down). The direction affects both the interval name and semitone count.
How do you determine if an interval is major, minor, perfect, or diminished?
Interval quality depends on the exact number of semitones. Perfect intervals (unison, 4th, 5th, octave) have specific semitone counts. Major intervals can be made minor by reducing them by one semitone. Augmented intervals are one semitone larger than major/perfect, while diminished are one semitone smaller than minor/perfect.
What are enharmonic equivalents and why do they matter?
Enharmonic equivalents are different note names for the same pitch, like C# and Db. They matter because the interval name depends on the note spelling used. C to F# is an augmented fourth, but C to Gb is a diminished fifth, even though they sound identical. Context and key signature determine which spelling to use.
How many semitones are in each basic interval?
Here are the semitone counts for basic intervals from any starting note: unison (0), minor 2nd (1), major 2nd (2), minor 3rd (3), major 3rd (4), perfect 4th (5), tritone (6), perfect 5th (7), minor 6th (8), major 6th (9), minor 7th (10), major 7th (11), octave (12).
Can this calculator help with chord construction?
Yes! Understanding intervals is essential for building chords. A major triad uses a major third (4 semitones) and perfect fifth (7 semitones) from the root. Minor triads use a minor third (3 semitones) and perfect fifth. Advanced chords add intervals like sevenths, ninths, and elevenths. This calculator helps you understand the interval relationships within any chord.