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Music vocabulary · Music Theory and Harmony

Tritone

Meaning in music, with examples

nounCommon term

In music, tritone means: An interval spanning three whole tones, equal to six semitones in equal temperament; it may be written as an augmented fourth or diminished fifth.

In Turkish: triton, üç tam ses aralığı

How it is used

Used in harmony and ear training. Its spelling depends on the note names, so count the letters before naming the written interval.

Example sentences

  1. The tritone between B and F creates tension inside the G seventh chord.

    Two notes within the chord form the six-semitone interval being discussed.

  2. She recognised the tritone in the listening test before checking the notation.

    She identifies the sound by ear without yet deciding how it is spelled on the page.

Common collocations

  • tritone interval
  • resolve a tritone
  • tritone substitution
  • intervalThe distance in pitch between two notes, named by counting letter names and checking the number of semitones, such as a major third or a perfect fifth.
  • augmented intervalAn interval made one semitone wider than a major or perfect interval with the same letter names.
  • dissonanceA combination of notes that sounds tense or unstable and seems to need to move, or resolve, to a more restful sound. The opposite is consonance.

More terms: Music Theory and Harmony

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