Tritone

6 half steps

3 whole steps (hence name)

C-F#

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History

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classic

jazz

modern

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Morphology

The tritone is a psychoaccoustic discomfort.
It does not beat like a half step.
But as the tectorial membrane vibrates at a frequency a tritone away form the basilar membrance:

” It is shown experimentally that the motion of the tectorial membrane is resonant at a frequency of 0.5 octave (oct) below the resonant frequency of the basilar membrane and polarized parallel to the reticular lamina.”

we postulate that playing a tritone simultanously or sequentially with the root note amplifies this effect and is the root of the discomfort.

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Role in KCM