Interval Name
Name any musical interval from its distance in semitones.
About Interval Name
The distance in semitones maps to a standard interval name, with every full twelve semitones adding an octave. Interval names are the vocabulary of harmony, so placing any semitone count on the musical ladder is a core skill.
Formula
Interval Name
Interval name from semitone distance (0-11) plus octave count
- unwrapped
- Semitone count reduced to a single octave names the interval
Worked example
With the default values below, Interval Name returns Interval Name of Perfect 4th. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Semitonesaccepts 0–24 st
- 5 st
Results
- Interval Name
- Perfect 4th
- Cents
- 500 cents
- Octave Shift
- 0 oct
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Interval Name
- 3Interval Name= Perfect 4th
- 4Cents= 500 cents
- 5Octave Shift= 0 oct
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the single input listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to whole numbers, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Interval Name calculated?
Interval name from semitone distance (0-11) plus octave count The distance in semitones maps to a standard interval name, with every full twelve semitones adding an octave.
Why does Interval Name matter?
Interval names are the vocabulary of harmony, so placing any semitone count on the musical ladder is a core skill.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 1 input: Semitones. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.