In music theory, it’s critical to understand the tritone musical theory.
Although it appears in some of the most basic chords and scales, some musicians want to steer clear of its tense, grating tone.
But what exactly is a tritone? Where do artists most frequently use it, and what does it sound like?
In this piece, we’ll outline the fundamentals of tritone intervals and explain why they’re contentious.
What exactly is a tritone?
A tritone is a musical interval between two notes that consists of 3 complete steps or 6 semitones.
Tritones, which people sometimes know as an augmented fourth or a diminished fifth, have a recognizable discordant sound that creates tension in many frequent musical scenarios.
They also possess the unusual quality of splitting the octave in half equally.
Artists rarely employ tritones on their own because of how strongly discordant they sound. When combined with other sounds in a chord or melody, they can, however, offer richness.
You can find tritones in a variety of fundamental musical constructions, including the major and minor scales and the dominant seventh chord.
The devil in music?
A tritone is a musical interval between two notes that consists of 3 complete steps or 6 semitones.
The tritone eventually gained a reputation as a bad, dissonant sound.
It is frequently stated that the tritone was forbidden in musical compositions by the Catholic church because it was deemed to be so evil. The tritone was occasionally referred to as a “Diabolus in musica” in Latin, which seems to support the theory.
It’s a humorous tale, and it’s easy to see how it came to appear frequently in music theory discussions.
The claims of an officially forbidden period are somewhat overblown, however, how scary they may sound.
Tritones are present in music many times, but there are specific standards in the rules of counterpoint regarding them that are intended to preserve fluid motion and consonant sound.
If this recurring music theory myth interests you, read Adam Neely’s superb refutation.
The Great Myth of the Medieval Tritone Ban
Tritone basics
The two most basic musical scales in western music—major and minor—naturally contain the tritone interval.
You can find it on the major scale between scale degrees 4 and 7, and on the minor scale between 2 and 6.
Hot tip: The elevated sixth scale degree in the melodic minor scale prevents the occurrence of the melodic tritone interval, whereas both the natural minor scale and the harmonic minor scale do.
The family of reduced chords includes the tritone as well. Diminished triads, diminished seventh chords, and half-diminished sevenths all have a tense tone that is influenced by this.
As we noted earlier, a tritone can be written as either an augmented fourth or a diminished fifth. The reduced fifth in jazz harmony is more usually referred to as the b5.
This note will be heard frequently in jazz chords, such as the min7b5 found in any minor ii-V-i progression. Additionally, people employ it as a chord extension to heighten the tension in dominant 7th chords.
Finally, while the tritone occurs in the major scale, it also does so in all of the major scale’s modes. They are the most prevalent scales found in modern music besides the fundamental major and minor and are sometimes referred to as the church modes.
Dominant chords and the use of tritones
Speaking of which, you can find the tritone inside any dominant seventh chord.
Consider the G7 in the C major V7. You get G-B-D-F when you spell the chord out from its root.
The B and F are tritones apart, according to an analysis of the relationships between each chord tone.
The dominant seventh’s intense sense of tension is a result of this grinding interval. The brilliance of functional harmony is that, in the key of C major, these notes will naturally desire to resolve to the chord tones of the tonic.
However, if the chord’s tension originates from the tritone, it establishes a sound connection with other chords that use the same notes.
For instance, try writing the chord Db7 in this order: Db-F-Ab-Cb. Since Cb and B are enharmonically equal, the tritone in the Db7 is the same.
In the context of a harmonic progression, there is enough information to give Db7 a comparable sense of tension and release to G7. As if that weren’t enough, the dominant 7th’s root is precisely a tritone away from the root of the tritone substitution.
Tritone replacement is the process of substituting the Db7 for the G7. When you need a dominant sound, you can try this wacky non-diatonic chord as an alternative.
One of the main reasons the tritone is regarded as so potent is its symmetry.
One of the numerous explanations for the tritone’s perceived strength is its symmetry.
Scales with a characteristic tritone
Although the tritone can be unsettling when heard alone, it fits wonderfully in the context of both melodies when they are in harmony.
Non-standard scales are one area where tritones can provide something interesting. Even the major scale has a tritone interval between some notes, but the scales that also have an interval of a tone away from the root are notable.
The lydian mode, for instance, is the fourth mode of the major scale. Since it starts on the fourth degree of the major scale and uses the same formula, it is the seven-note scale. Visit our comprehensive guide if you need a review of how modes function.
With one significant exception—the fourth degree of the mode forms a tritone interval with the root—the lydian mode and the major scale are quite similar.
A Maj7#11 chord results from adding thirds to the Lydian mode’s root note. The #11 note at the top is simply an octave-up tritone interval!
The end product is an elegant and sophisticated chord that can give your standard major chords more depth and color.
Additionally, using it in a melody makes it a distinctive sound that people will remember. A melodic tritone, for instance, you can hear in the opening figure of the Simpsons opening credits music.
The sound of musical intervals
Every musical interval serves a significant purpose in various contexts.
Tritones may appear unpleasant when exposed, yet it is their powerful tension that drives crucial melodic and harmonic relationships.
You’ll be off to a terrific start using tritones in your music if you’ve read this far.