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Interval

Tritone
6 semitones.

A tritone sounds unstable and eerie. The fastest way to recognize it is the opening of The Simpsons theme.

  • Play it on piano
  • TT · 6 st
  • Same songs as the trainer

Tritone

Hear the tritone from middle C

The tritone is 6 semitones (TT). From C4 at 261.63 Hz the upper note is F♯4 at 369.99 Hz, a frequency ratio of 1.4142.

Ascending hookThe Simpsons theme
Descending hookBlack Sabbath (main riff)
Characterunstable and eerie

Sing the opening of The Simpsons theme and you are singing this interval upward. Downward, the hook is Black Sabbath (main riff). The interval trainer uses these same hooks.

All twelve

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StudioEarsEar training for iPhone & iPad

Recognize it without the song hint.

The app drills this interval against the ones you confuse it with, and keeps score across days.

Download on theApp Store

Free to start. 5 free training units every day plus built-in studio tools.

  • EQ & compressionDaily drills on drums, bass, guitars and full mixes.
  • Intervals & chordsPiano training that uses the same note names as these pages.
  • Studio toolsMetronome, tone generator and tap tempo live in the app too.

Explore the cluster

Perfect 4th One step smaller. Previous interval → Perfect 5th One step larger. Next interval → Interval trainer Name it from a random root. Train →

FAQ

Tritone questions

How many semitones is a tritone?

6. Stack them from any note and you land 6 keys away on the piano, counting only the destination.

What song starts with it?

Ascending: The Simpsons theme. Descending: Black Sabbath (main riff).

How do I practice it?

Play the buttons above, sing the hook, then do a round in the interval trainer with only this interval and its neighbors turned on.