tritonic

In music theory, the tritone is defined as a musical interval spanning three adjacent whole tones (six semitones). For instance, the interval from F up to the B above it (in short, F–B) is a tritone as it can be decomposed into the three adjacent whole tones F–G, G–A, and A–B.

tritone, in music, the interval encompassed by three consecutive whole steps, as for instance the distance from F to B (the whole steps F–G, G–A, and A–B). In semitone notation, the tritone is composed of six semitones; thus it divides the octave symmetrically in equal halves.

A semitone (sometimes called a half tone or a half step) is the distance from a white key to a neighboring black key on the piano keyboard - for example, from G to G-sharp or from E to E-flat. In an octave (from G to the next G above, for instance), there are twelve semitones.

What's so evil about that? Well, the myth is that singers and composers in the Medieval ages were forbidden from incorporating tritones into their music and that the Catholic Church actually banned the tritone for being diabolus in musica, or “the Devil in music”!

The tritone is a musical interval that's composed of two notes that are six semitones, or three adjacent whole tones, apart. Within a major scale, there's only one instance where a tritone is formed diatonically: between the seventh and fourth scale degrees (ex. B and F form a tritone in the key of C major).

Due to their intense dissonant sound, tritones are rarely used by themselves. However, they can add richness in context with other notes in a chord or melody. Tritones appear in many fundamental musical structures such as the major and minor scales and dominant 7th chord.

Due to their intense dissonant sound, tritones are rarely used by themselves. However, they can add richness in context with other notes in a chord or melody. Tritones appear in many fundamental musical structures such as the major and minor scales and dominant 7th chord.

A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically. It is defined as the interval between two adjacent notes in a 12-tone scale.

Tones and semitones are easily visualizable on keyboard instruments. A tone is the interval between two white keys separated by a black key. A semitone corresponds to the interval between two white keys without being separated by a black key.

The reason why tritones sound so dissonant is because they sit in between a perfect fourth and fifth, which conventionally are two of the most familiar sounding intervals in western tonal harmony. The tritone's nature is often thought of as unstable and disturbing.

Like the Beast, it goes by many names: Diabolus in musica (devil in music), the devil's interval, the tritone, the triad and the flatted fifth. As its Latin moniker suggests, it's an evil sounding combination of notes that's designed to create a chilling or foreboding atmosphere.

That dissonance (the tension your ears perceive) isn't without function - since your brain craves some kind of resolution when you hear it, the tritone is a magnificent engine for building anticipation before transitioning to a pleasant finality, or, perhaps, another interesting chord that can keep the music going.