What Is a Semitone?
A semitone is the smallest interval in Western music — the distance between two adjacent notes on a piano (e.g., C to C#, or E to F). There are 12 semitones in an octave.
- +1 semitone — raises pitch by one half-step (C → C#)
- +5 semitones — raises pitch by a perfect fourth (C → F)
- +7 semitones — raises pitch by a perfect fifth (C → G)
- +12 semitones — raises pitch by one full octave (C4 → C5)
- -12 semitones — lowers pitch by one full octave (C5 → C4)