| Just what is it about the tritone chord progression that | | | | have led the church fathers to associate the tritone |
| makes it so mysterious? Perhaps it has to do with its | | | | with the Biblical "mark of the beast," or number of the |
| dissonant, clashing sound. It may have something to do | | | | devil: 666. |
| with its dubious history. Whatever it is, the tritone chord | | | | As with any widely held superstition, the tritone had a |
| progression in music made a comeback in music after | | | | bad public image to overcome. Eventually some |
| several centuries of bad publicity. | | | | musicians cautiously experimented with the |
| 'Tritone" is defined as a musical interval that spans | | | | tritone,particularly during the Baroque and Classical |
| three whole tones. A tritone chord may also be called | | | | music era. Finally, it seemed as though its stigma had |
| an augmented fourth or diminished fifth chord. The | | | | been somewhat overcome during the Romantic |
| tritone sounds like a clash, or as a dissonant chord. For | | | | period. Notableclassical musicians like Vivaldi, |
| this reason, the tritone chord was often avoided during | | | | Beethoven and Debussy inserted the tritone into |
| Medieval times through to the end of the Romantic | | | | various works. |
| era. | | | | When the equal temperament system of tuning came |
| For hundreds of years musical styles were, in large | | | | into general practice in Western music, the tritone |
| part, dictated by the church. During Medieval times, the | | | | began to make a comeback in contemporary songs. |
| tritone was viewed as too dissonant for use in | | | | Still, it had remnants of its former reputation. The tritone |
| common liturgical services. In fact, the tritone chord | | | | began to appear in modern rock and roll, jazz and |
| progression came to represent the devil. Perhaps as | | | | blues songs. Those with prudish natures denounced it, |
| early as the 18th century it was commonly known as | | | | probably still subscribing to the old-fashioned |
| "diabolus in musica" (the devil in music). | | | | church-propagated superstition. Despite some |
| A great deal of superstition came to be associated | | | | opposition, the tritone took hold. Today it's used |
| with the tritone. Many church fathers adhered to the | | | | regularly and without inhibition. |
| belief that it may even serve to invoke the power of | | | | Many musicians are still aware of its diabolical history. In |
| the devil. Because of this superstition, the use of the | | | | fact, the tritone is sometimes still used in contemporary |
| tritone was banned by the church for liturgical use. | | | | media to signify, represent or "invoke" the devil. One |
| Because of this negative association, even secular | | | | example of this is the 1986 movie Crossroads. In it, the |
| music produced during these centuries avoided it. | | | | main character, in a showdown of guitar prowess, |
| There is speculation that this chord may have been | | | | ends a guitar solo with a tritone chord because of its |
| associated with the Devil for another reason. The | | | | association with the devil. However, its relation to |
| tritone, as already mentioned, consists of three whole | | | | ancient superstitions has been largely forgotten by the |
| tones. | | | | general public. Today, the tritone is used artistically, just |
| Three whole tones equal six semitones. This may | | | | another color in the musical palette. |