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Twelve positions and chromatic notes

The 12 pitch positions in an octave only take on specific meaning within a key.

With C as the tonic

0 semitones = 1 (C), 1 = ♭2 (D♭), 2 = 2 (D), 3 = ♭3 (E♭), 4 = 3 (E), 5 = 4 (F), 6 = ♯4 (F♯) / ♭5 (G♭), 7 = 5 (G), 8 = ♭6 (A♭), 9 = 6 (A), 10 = ♭7 (B♭), 11 = 7 (B), and 12 semitones brings you back to the 1 above (C). These are relative positions — other keys don't use these note names.

One key, several identities

Against C major, F♯ can be heard as a raised 4; in other harmonic settings the same equal-tempered pitch may be written G♭. A raised 4 and a lowered 5 don't always have the same musical function. Some modes here use fixed labels for display; when reading music, go by the actual mode and chord spelling.

♭2 · D♭

With C as the centre, D♭ sits a semitone above the tonic, and D♭→C can be a neighbour-note cue back home. If it belongs to a different chord or mode, how it feels changes with the context.

♭3 · E♭

A semitone below major's 3 and an important colour of the parallel minor. Compare E and E♭ over the same C centre to hear the change of mode, rather than filing it as a permanent “sad note”.

♯4 / ♭5 · F♯ / G♭

Six semitones from C — a tritone. In some contexts F♯ leans toward G and G♭ toward F; these are tendencies to compare, not a function you can determine from one isolated key.

♭6 · A♭

The sixth note of C natural minor, a semitone below the parallel major's 6. A♭→G is just a semitone — compare it with the whole tone A→G.

♭7 · B♭

A whole tone below the C above, common in natural minor, Mixolydian and similar settings — unlike the semitone from major's leading tone B→C. Hear the scale's centre clearly first, then compare the two.

Start diatonic, then add chromatic notes

Get major and natural minor solid first, then add a few chromatic notes at a time. Compare ♭3 with 3, ♭6 with 6 and ♭7 with 7 in pairs; hear what each changes over the same tonic, and don't use the key colour as the answer.

References: Functional Ear Trainer · Miles.be · Puget Sound · Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom · musictheory.net · Lessons