What are Tritones?

The Diminished triad have a diminished 5th/augmented 4th which is a tritone

What is a Tritone ? its only a diminished 5th or a augmented 4th intervals?

The C Whole tone Scale has Three diminished 5ths or augmented 4ths or tritones

Dominant 7th chords have a tritone

The ii degree in harmonic minor is a Diminished triad and has a tritone

What do these Tritones do ? are they pivot tones? are tritones just chromatic/altered tones?
or are Tritones special and why?

I think you've got it, actually -- a "tritone" is just another name for a diminished 5th/augmented 4th (enharmonically the same interval in an even-tempered scale).

It's just the interval, so it can play all kinds of roles (not pivot tone though -- that's a term referring to a single tone). Historically it's been called "the devil in music" and been very much avoided (or used intentionally for emphasis!) because it's fairly dissonant. If you're still working on counterpoint, that was one time period where it was strictly avoided, in the melody and in-between parts.

You can find more info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritone

-Rob

Thanks Rob for the information

C Ionian tritone is Gb flat
D Dorian tritone is Ab flat
E Phrygian tritone is Bb flat
F lydian tritone is Cb flat
G Mixolydian tritone is Db flat
A Aeolian is tritone Eb flat
B Locian is tritone is Fb flat

These make a Diminished 5th interval above the scale degree so its a tritone
in the C major scale having 7 new tritones?

walters Wrote:
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> B Locian is tritone is Fb flat

Close -- in B Locrian, the tritone is an F.
This is important to notice -- in the other modes, you have to alter the 5th degree of the scale to get a tritone; those notes aren't normally in the scale. But in the Locrian mode, when you play the scale you naturally get a tritone instead of a perfect 5th.

That's why Locrian wasn't one of the standard "church" modes; without that stabilizing perfect fifth, it's hard to really feel the tonic. The tonic chord in Locrian is diminished! That's definitely throws off the center of gravity.

-Rob

Thanks for the help


In a Major scale the tritone is a flatted 5th

alter the 5th degree of the scale to get a tritone

B to F is not Altered from the 5th degree of the C major scale

it would be F flat to alter it ?

Remember that these intervals are the same no matter what scale they're in. The interval from C to G is a perfect 5th, from C to G-flat is a diminished 5th (a tritone).

The interval from B to F is a diminished 5th (play it on a piano - you can hear it). If you flatted the F, then you have the interval from B to F-flat... that's a *double*-diminished 5th (which sounds the same as a perfect 4th). The interval from B to F-sharp is a perfect 5th.

Does this all make sense? This is important to understand before you get into the scales.

Can you please list how many tritone interval they are which notes are they
and where?

I think there is 12 tritones intervals because every note should have a tritone
interval a diminsihed 5th

walters Wrote:
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> I think there is 12 tritones intervals because
> every note should have a tritone
> interval a diminsihed 5th

That's right -- this makes the most sense if you can sit at a piano keyboard. For any key, you can count up 6 halfsteps -- 6 keys -- and when you play those 2 notes, that's a tritone.

For example, start on C. Count up through C#, D, D#, E, F, F#.
That's a tritone, C and F#.

Example # 2: start on B. Count up through C, C#, D, D#, E, F.
That's a tritone also, B and F.

Ok , whats the use of tritones?

It make the music sound evil i know the metal bands like slayer use them alot
it creates a errie sound to music with tritone in the melody

the tritone is so named because it equally divides the octave in 3, the interval from the tritone back to the octave is a tritone too ^^ C-F#-C

«[www.hippsta.com]» Commercial Music Licenses, Advanced Music Theory, Private Music Lessons

hippsta Wrote:
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> the tritone is so named because it equally divides
> the octave in 3, the interval from the tritone
> back to the octave is a tritone too ^^ C-F#-C

You're mixing up two tritone facts here.

The tritone splits the octave exactly in half, not in 3 (though you're right to point out that it's symmetrical, and you can stack two tritones to span an octave).

But it's called a tritone because it's the same span as three whole tones (whole steps); for example, walking up from C through D, E, F# (three whole steps) gets you a tritone.

-Rob

What are the scales for F in Bass cleff and Bb in Treble?

nodee Wrote:
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> What are the scales for F in Bass cleff and Bb in
> Treble?

Are you looking for whole tone scales starting on F and Bb?
I'm not sure I understand the question.

Any scale will be the same on any clef, though -- all you need to know to use a different clef is what notes go where (and once you know one, you can figure out the rest), then everything else goes in exactly the same.

If you're making whole tone scales, just keep adding on whole steps until you go an octave. So on F that would be F G A B C# D# F.

what are trotones and how scan I apply them...........

Dela Wrote:
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> what are trotones and how scan I apply
> them...........

Write more about what you're doing, what you're trying to do, etc., and someone can probably offer you advice. The more details you give, the more we can help!

-Rob

walters Wrote:
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> > The Diminished triad have a diminished
> 5th/augmented 4th which is a tritone
>
> What is a Tritone ? its only a diminished 5th or a
> augmented 4th intervals?
>
> The C Whole tone Scale has Three diminished 5ths
> or augmented 4ths or tritones
>
> Dominant 7th chords have a tritone
>
> The ii degree in harmonic minor is a Diminished
> triad and has a tritone
>
> What do these Tritones do ? are they pivot tones?
> are tritones just chromatic/altered tones?
> or are Tritones special and why?
>
>

A tritone is a three note
chord or Arpeggio consisting of----for ex.-C-,Eb, Gb,also called an 1/2 diminished 7th.A whole Dim 7th is a 4 note chord or Arpeggio consisting of a tritone plus one more Minor 3rd superimposed on top Ex. C,Eb,Gb,and A.these chords are useful for creating tension in practical composing situations adding a degree of interest to the exams.

i 've been over time,trying to get the full and true picture of tritones. how they occur and the an anotomical example of a trinone in contemprary music

Can we have a slash tritone chord, if so what are the principles used in that

Post corrected below





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/03/2008 09:05AM by stevel. (view changes)

"A tritone is a three note
chord or Arpeggio consisting of----for ex.-C-,Eb, Gb,also called an 1/2 diminished 7th.A whole Dim 7th is a 4 note chord or Arpeggio consisting of a tritone plus one more Minor 3rd superimposed on top Ex. C,Eb,Gb,and A.these chords are useful for creating tension in practical composing situations adding a degree of interest to the exams."


Please, let's not provide wrong answers.

"Tritone" is the name for an interval. An Interval is the distance between two notes.

The distance, or interval between the notes C and F# is three whole steps, or three tones. Thus that interval has become called the "tritone".

A tritone is:
A perfect 4th that's been enlarged by one semitone.
An interval that is three tones in size.
An interval that is six semitones in size.

It is not a "chord" in the general sense.

It is found in chords, namely, the Dominant 7 (such as G7) or half- and fully-diminshed 7th chords (such as Bm7b5 (half-diminshed) or Bo7).

C-Eb-Gb is NOT a "half-diminished" chord.

It is a DIMINISHED TRIAD.

A half-diminished seventh chord contains four notes: C-Eb-Gb-Bb for example.
A fully-diminished seventh chord contains four notes as well: C-Eb-Gb-Bbb for example.

Steve

john jemisenia Wrote:
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> i 've been over time,trying to get the full and
> true picture of tritones. how they occur and the
> an anotomical example of a trinone in contemprary
> music

What do you mean by "contemporary" music? Do you mean music of the 20th and 21st centuries in the concert music world, or pop music.

The tritone is seen as one of the driving harmonic forces in tradtionally written "tonal" music. It is a dissonance that demands resolution in that style and chords that contain that interval are assumed to be in need of resolution as well.

Typically, the interval of the tritone resolves by expanding or collapsing:

B - C
F - E

or

Cb - Bb
F - Gb

While the latter is "really" a "diminished 5th" and not a "tritone" per se, the name has been applied to any interval of three tones in size, whether or not its spelled as a fourth or not.

In earlier times, it was called "the devil in music", which thousands of people grasp on to when they hear that and decide they can make their music "dark" or "evil", etc. etc. by incorporating it heavily.

Its also been exploited because its use was so restricted in the tonal era, and because of its symmetry (it divides the octave in half) etc.

In Jazz, it is used heavily to imply dominant 7th chords, among other things.

Maybe you should google "historical uses of the tritone" and see what you get.

Best,
Steve

Jesse Aggrey Wrote:
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> Can we have a slash tritone chord, if so what are
> the principles used in that

A tritone is not a chord, it's an interval.

If you're talking about something like:

C/F#, which is a C chord over an F# bass note, yes, it's quite common in modern jazz. It's basically notation for the Tritone Sub, which is very common.

C7/F# is a substitute for F#7.

Both C7 and F#7 (whose roots are a tritone apart) contain the SAME interval of a tritone - E/Bb (as E/A# in the F#7).

You can "substitute" one chord for the other because they share this common interval (which is understood to be the driving force and "most important" notes of the chord).

You may also see "Polychords" or "Bichords. They are usually written:
C
_
F#

Or "C over F#". This means you play the notes F#-A#-C#-C-E-G, which produces an F#7alt sound (F#7 with a b5 (or #11) and b9).

HTH,
Steve

I generally play Jazz/Neo Soul/Contemporary Gospel...I have basic knowledge of tritones however I need to understand where and when to use the tritones and what tritones fit together to create that contemporary sound.

I also would like to know what the bass chords would be when using a tritone.

Is it a case whereby you would have a C major chord on the right hand with a the root - C and the diminished 5th - Gb as the bass notes?

Michael Oguns Wrote:
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> I generally play Jazz/Neo Soul/Contemporary
> Gospel...I have basic knowledge of tritones
> however I need to understand where and when to use
> the tritones and what tritones fit together to
> create that contemporary sound.
>
> I also would like to know what the bass chords
> would be when using a tritone.
>
> Is it a case whereby you would have a C major
> chord on the right hand with a the root - C and
> the diminished 5th - Gb as the bass notes?

The most typical use of a tritone - especially in jazz - is to provide the 3rd and 7th of a Dominant 7th chord. Or, another way, every Dominant 7th chord has a tritone between it's 3rd and 7th.

C-E-G-Bb

E to Bb is a tritone. In many cases, players use just these two notes to imply the harmony they want (a C7 chord in this case - and that assumes that the bass player is playing a C, etc.).

Many pianists voice their 7th chords like C in the left hand, then E/Bb in the RH.

You can do things like this - if you're going from C7 to F7, you'd move the LH bass notes from C to F, and the RH tritone from E/Bb on the C7, to Eb/A on the F7 - this means the tritone has to only oove a half step.

In fact, that's true of any teo dominant 7th chords whose roots are a 4th or 5th apart - you can move the tritone of one up or down a half step to get to the tritone that's the 3rd and 7th of the next chord (and the 3rd of one becomes the 7th of the next, and vice versa, which is pretty cool).

Using a tritone from the root of the chord - such as an F# or Gb over a C gives a "diminished" or "flat five" (b5) sound. Both diminished and half-diminished 7th chords contain a b5 9and the diminished actually has two tritones in it!).

But, treating the #4 at a #11 has a very "Lydian" sound - which is fairly contemporary sounding in a lot of genres. YOu might have something like C-E-G-D-F# for a chord that sounds like a Cadd9#11, or a D/C polychord.

Putting a C chord in the RH with a Gb in the Left as the bass is not as common, but it does have it's own sound.

Other chords also contain tritones in different places, but it seems the most "effective" place for them to be traditionally to really "define" a chord's sound is between 1 and 5, or 2 and 7. Putting them in other places tends to be more of a "coloration" of a chord.

For example, C Eb G A is a Cm6. There is a tritone between Eb and A but in a context where C is clearly the bass, we hear the A as a coloration of the Cm chord, rather than these being the notes of an F9 without the F (which is typically where the Eb/A tritone appears).

As another response mentions, the tritone was considered "the devil in music" way back in olden days. And because some people learn that, and want to make what they think is "dark" or "evil" music, etc. they incorporate the tritone heavily. In that context, it has taken on a "darker" connotation, but that's only one use of the interval - it appears in many.

My suggestion to you is to just experiment with the sound - try adding a tritone to existing chords, or play a tritone and add a note, or notes, to it, and see what kind of sounds you can get.

HTH,
Steve

Hi everyone!

Can someone help me defining a Tritone?

how do i play left hand tritones to sound phat.

How are tritones used, do you substitude a chord with a tritone?

Mduduzi Wrote:
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> How are tritones used, do you substitude a chord
> with a tritone?

A tritone is an interval, part of a chord.

I think stevel's post - 2 years ago! - answered this perfectly. Is there something you don't understand about his answer?