Music Interval Calculator: Find Any Note Interval Instantly

🎵 Music Interval Calculator

Identify the interval between any two notes — semitones, interval name, quality & inversion

🎯 Quick Presets
🎼 Select Your Notes
📊 All 12 Chromatic Intervals
0
Unison
1
Min 2nd
2
Maj 2nd
3
Min 3rd
4
Maj 3rd
5
Perf 4th
6
Tritone
7
Perf 5th
8
Min 6th
9
Maj 6th
10
Min 7th
11
Maj 7th

Numbers = semitones above root note

📋 Complete Interval Reference Table
Interval Name Semitones Abbreviation Quality Example (C Root) Inversion
Perfect Unison0P1PerfectC → CPerfect Octave
Minor 2nd1m2MinorC → DbMajor 7th
Major 2nd2M2MajorC → DMinor 7th
Minor 3rd3m3MinorC → EbMajor 6th
Major 3rd4M3MajorC → EMinor 6th
Perfect 4th5P4PerfectC → FPerfect 5th
Tritone (Aug 4th)6A4/d5Aug/DimC → F#Tritone
Perfect 5th7P5PerfectC → GPerfect 4th
Minor 6th8m6MinorC → AbMajor 3rd
Major 6th9M6MajorC → AMinor 3rd
Minor 7th10m7MinorC → BbMajor 2nd
Major 7th11M7MajorC → BMinor 2nd
Perfect Octave12P8PerfectC → CPerfect Unison
🎸 Interval Use in Chords
Chord Type Intervals Used Semitones from Root Sound Character
Major TriadM3 + P50, 4, 7Bright, happy
Minor Triadm3 + P50, 3, 7Sad, dark
Diminished Triadm3 + d50, 3, 6Tense, unstable
Augmented TriadM3 + A50, 4, 8Dreamy, unresolved
Dominant 7thM3 + P5 + m70, 4, 7, 10Bluesy, needs resolution
Major 7thM3 + P5 + M70, 4, 7, 11Smooth, jazzy
Minor 7thm3 + P5 + m70, 3, 7, 10Mellow, cool
Sus2M2 + P50, 2, 7Open, airy
Sus4P4 + P50, 5, 7Suspended, anticipating
🎧 Frequency Ratios by Interval
Interval Semitones Just Ratio Equal Temp. Ratio Cents
Unison01:11.0000
Minor 2nd116:151.059100
Major 2nd29:81.122200
Minor 3rd36:51.189300
Major 3rd45:41.260400
Perfect 4th54:31.335500
Tritone645:321.414600
Perfect 5th73:21.498700
Minor 6th88:51.587800
Major 6th95:31.682900
Minor 7th1016:91.7821000
Major 7th1115:81.8881100
Octave122:12.0001200
💡 Tip — Counting Semitones: Each fret on a guitar (or each piano key including black keys) equals exactly 1 semitone. To find the interval, count the total semitones between two notes. 12 semitones always equals one octave in equal temperament tuning.
💡 Tip — Interval Inversion Rule: Any interval inverted (flipped upside down) always adds up to 9. A Major 3rd (3) inverts to a Minor 6th (6). A Perfect 4th (4) inverts to a Perfect 5th (5). Major intervals invert to minor; perfect intervals stay perfect.

Music Intervals show the space between two notes. Almost every bit of music comes from the use of notes in various spaces, so with different measures for the Music Intervals. According to the theory of music a Music Interval is the difference of height between two sounds.

One can describe it as horizontal or melodic, when it binds notes, that sounds one after the other, for instance two pitches in sequence of melody. Sometimes one calls it vertical or harmonic, if two notes sound together.

What Are Music Intervals?

Music Intervals form the basic bit of scales, chords and lines of melody. They measure the distance between two heights, whether vertical or horizontal. If one measures vertically, the notes sound at the same time, and so one calls them harmonic Music Intervals.

Music Intervals work like the genetic code of the music. The step of note to the next notes taht move simply as a Music Interval.

Music Intervals in music form the main base for the western music theory. By means of them, one can create chords, scales, arpeggios and even more many elements. They help also as first step for study more difficult themes, as harmony and melodic lines.

Moreover, Music Intervals are useful a lot for talk between musicians and for sorting notions about music.

To find the number of a Music Interval, the cause is really easy. By means of counting lines and spaces one finds the grade, as second, third, fourth and down. Even so, to find the type of the Music Interval (whether perfect), diminished, big, augmented or little, requires more effort.

This requires to no the key, the signature of the key and some accidents before in the measure. It helps to also recall, that between B and C, likewise as between E and F, there is no half tone. There are a lot of causes for learning that, but knowledge about scales and reading music already settles some of them.

If the bottom note has a flat, the Music Interval grows in size. When both notes are sharps or both have flats, the Music Interval stays without change.

Some Music Intervals are recognized more well by hearing than others. The little second and the tritone stand out, because they sound especially harsh. The little second is that, that one hears in the theme music of the films about Jaws.

One can call the tritone also augmented fourth or diminished fifth. It sits fairly in the center of an octave and sounds discordant and bothering. In the Middle Ages, monks even called the tritone the “Music Interval of the devil”.

Music Intervals help to understand, why the same song one can play in various keys. The song sounds likewise the same, because the Music Intervals between notes stay identical. The grades of a scale are the notes in it, and each of those grades creates a Music Interval from the base.

For instance, in the scale of C major, C is the first grade, D the second, E the third, thus down. Even from C to C one counts as a Music Interval, which one callsa unison.

Music Interval Calculator: Find Any Note Interval Instantly

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