WHy is a 5th in music not five notes apart?

Question

I have played drums and guitar for 25 years and never “got into” music theory. I know what sounds good and play that but I never learned the names or theory behind it.

Why is a 5th not 5 notes apart? On a keyboard it’s any where from 4 white keysto 8 total keys? Why is there not uniformity or consistency?

In: 0

Answer 1

There is. A fifth is uniformly, and consistently, two notes whose frequencies are a ratio of 3:2. On a piano this will always be 8 total keys (combination of black and white).

As an example this can be C to G (C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G)

Or it could be A# to F (A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F)