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🎵 Semitone Calculator

Enter a starting frequency and a number of semitones (positive to go up, negative to go down) to find the new pitch.

1
Hz
2
semitones

What this calculator does

In standard 12-tone equal temperament tuning, every semitone step multiplies frequency by the same fixed ratio. This calculator shifts a starting frequency up or down by any number of semitones.

How the calculation works

The new frequency equals the starting frequency multiplied by 2 raised to the power of (semitones ÷ 12): f₁ = f₀ × 2n/12. Twelve semitones equal one octave, which doubles the frequency, and each individual semitone is a ratio of the twelfth root of two (about 1.0595).

Use a negative semitone value to shift the pitch down. This calculator assumes standard equal-temperament tuning, which is used by nearly all modern keyboard and fretted instruments.

Last reviewed August 2026