Music Theory Question - Tritones
So, I've obviously heard of the tritone and how it's supposed to be avoided in tonal music. My question is this:
When an instrument is supposed to play two consecutive notes a tritone apart (in this case an E and then a Bb), what's the minimum amount of time required between them for the interval to sound "consonant" and/or be easy to play?
Comments
Why do you think you need to avoid a tritone?
There are numerous examples of it's use in tonal music.
One example is the first 2 notes of the the tune "Maria" from "West Side Story".
You must have misunderstood some special case.
In reply to Why do you think you need to by xavierjazz
I just think it sounds too jarring to be used extensively (more of my personal opinion than anything).
In reply to I just think it sounds too by Dirge Of Dreams
Well, the minimum amount of time required between them is just as subjective and personal as well…
In reply to I just think it sounds too by Dirge Of Dreams
Music is not just the relationship between two notes. Previous and next notes also affect this.
For example: Tritone creates a tension.
If you leave this alone, the tension will go on.
For example: c f# <- tension. (like question)
But if you solve, this is the exact opposite: relaxation ..
c f# g <- relaxation. (like answer)
Music will be very boring if only with consonants.
Dissonances, consonances, tensions, resolutions, half cadences, full cadences, broken cadences and many other things make the music exciting.
And: tempo, short and long notes and especially rests!
My short advice is: Do not think about notes one by one. Think of Full Sentences, Half Sentences and Phrases.
I'm also not sure where you got the idea that the tritone was to be avoided. Well, actually I am -
there are all sorts of crazy myths that seem to have found common acceptance. But even if there is some germ of truth behind this myth, it's all about context. After all, you can't have a dominant seventh chord - arguably the single most important sonority in tonal music - without a tritone, so pretty much any tonal piece is going to feature a *ton* of tritones in the harmony. Melodically, they also occur pretty freely in this context, but perhaps more so in the past couple of centuries than in the centuries preceding them.