Chords & Chord Progressions: Tritones & Tritone Resolutions

Lesson Goal: To internalize the tritones and tritone resolutions… by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle…

Table of Contents

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Prerequisites

Basic music reading skills… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.

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What’s a Tritone?

A tritone is the interval of an augmented 4th or diminished 5th. It’s called a tritone because it spans three whole tones.

But the most interesting thing about tritones is that they are inherently dissonant and unstable and what to GO somewhere!

Let’s take a look at the two kinds of tritones and the places that tritones want to go…

First, as an Augmented 4th

Here’s an Augmented 4th and it’s major chord resolution…

Read, listen, play, and hear how this wants to resolve outward…

It’s important to realize that this tritone strongly implies the dominant harmony created by a G7 chord.

Second, as a Diminished 5th

Here’s a Diminished 5th and it’s major chord resolution…

Read, listen, play, and hear and feel how this wants to resolve inward…

Important message from Frank: Don’t fuss over whether the tritone is a diminished 5th or augmented 4th. That only matters if you’re taking a music theory test. Just make sure that you hear and feel the instability and strong harmonic drive that wants the triton to resolve… either inward or outward to the very nearest notes.

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Why is Knowing Your Tritones So Important?

Tritones are highly dissonant and unstable and are a huge part of what makes tonal chord progressions really tick.

Tritones show up in four primary ways:

1. As Dominant Harmony V7, vii, or vii7 chord.
2. As a Secondary Dominant V7/x, vii/x, or viii7/x chord.
3. To Modulate as V7, vii, or vii7 of the new key.

This will all be spelled out below…

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Tritone Resolutions, All Keys

C Major

In this case, the Bdim5 and Faug4 imply a Dominant G7 harmony…

(C could be the I chord in C Major, a V chord in F Major, or a IV chord in G Major.)

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F Major

In this case, the Edim5 and Bbaug4 imply a Dominant C7 harmony…

(F could be the I chord in F Major, a V chord in Bb Major, or a IV chord in C Major.)

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Bb Major

In this case, the Cdim5 and Ebaug4 imply a Dominant F7 harmony…

(Bb could be the I chord in Bb Major, a V chord in Eb Major, or a IV chord in F Major.)

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Eb Major

In this case, the Ddim5 and Abaug4 imply a Dominant Bb7 harmony…

(Eb could be the I chord in Eb Major, a V chord in Ab Major, or a IV chord in Bb Major.)

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Ab Major

In this case, the Gdim5 and Dbaug4 imply a Dominant Eb7 harmony…

(Ab could be the I chord in Ab Major, a V chord in Db Major, or a IV chord in Eb Major.)

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Db Major

In this case, the Cdim5 and Gbaug4 imply a Dominant Ab7 harmony…

(Db could be the I chord in Db Major, a V chord in Gb Major, or a IV chord in Ab Major.)

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Gb Major

In this case, the Fdim5 and Cbaug4 imply a Dominant Db7 harmony…

(Gb could be the I chord in Gb Major, a V chord in Cb Major, or a IV chord in Db Major.)

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B Major

In this case, the A#dim5 and Eaug4 imply a Dominant F#7 harmony…

(B could be the I chord in B Major, a V chord in E Major, or a IV chord in F# Major.)

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E Major

In this case, the D#dim5 and Aaug4 imply a Dominant B7 harmony…

(E could be the I chord in E Major, a V chord in A Major, or a IV chord in B Major.)

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A Major

In this case, the G#dim5 and Daug4 imply a Dominant E7 harmony…

(A could be the I chord in A Major, a V chord in D Major, or a IV chord in E Major.)

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D Major

In this case, the C#dim5 and Gaug4 imply a Dominant A7 harmony…

(D could be the I chord in D Major, a V chord in G Major, or a IV chord in A Major.)

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G Major

In this case, the F#dim5 and Caug4 imply a Dominant D7 harmony…

(G could be the I chord in G Major, a V chord in C Major, or a IV chord in D Major.)

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