Do Other Musical Intervals Create a Creepy Sound Like the Devil's Interval?

  • Thread starter Thread starter symbolipoint
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Interval
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the exploration of musical intervals that evoke a creepy sound similar to the "Devil's Interval," or augmented fourth. Participants identified specific intervals, such as the dominant 7th with a sharped 9th and sharped 13th, as well as the minor add 9 arpeggio (grip x02410), which can create unsettling tones. The notion that the Devil's Interval was banned in ecclesiastical music is debunked, with evidence of its presence in medieval and renaissance sacred music, albeit used cautiously. Notably, Andrea Catozzi's composition "Beelzebub" is mentioned as a piece that could utilize the Devil's Interval but does not prominently feature it.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of musical intervals, specifically augmented fourths and dominant 7ths.
  • Familiarity with guitar chord voicings and finger placements.
  • Knowledge of music theory concepts such as dissonance and consonance.
  • Awareness of historical context regarding the use of specific musical intervals in sacred music.
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the use of tritones in various musical genres and their psychological effects.
  • Explore advanced guitar techniques for voicing complex chords, particularly sharped 9ths and sharped 13ths.
  • Study the historical context of the Devil's Interval in medieval and renaissance music.
  • Analyze compositions that effectively utilize dissonance to create tension and unease.
USEFUL FOR

Musicians, composers, and music theorists interested in the psychological impact of musical intervals, as well as guitarists looking to expand their chord vocabulary and explore unconventional sounds.

symbolipoint
Homework Helper
Education Advisor
Gold Member
Messages
7,632
Reaction score
2,067
Are there other intervals that do what this one does? I poked around briefly on a guitar to try to check another couple of oddball chords to see which intervals were making it sound odd, but I could not see a match to any augmented 4th.

(the kind of tones or NOTES combined which make music scary or creepy)
 
Science news on Phys.org
7th with a sharped 9th, voiced root-fifth-#9.
7th with a sharped 9th and sharped 13th voiced third, #9, #13.
 
The ‘devils interval’ stuff is a myth - there was never any ecclesiastical ban on its use, and can find it in medieval and renaissance sacred music, although as a dissonance it was treated carefully. A dominant 7th, with the tritone between 3 and 7 is not particularly creepy.

The classic metal creepy arpeggio is a minor add 9, the grip would be x02410 (frets from the 6th through 1st string)
 
Also, if there were ever a piece that should use the Devil's Interval, it would be Andrea Catozzi's Beelzebub. Yet it hardly does at all!
 

Similar threads

Music Talent Worthy of Wider Recognition
  • · Replies 117 ·
4
Replies
117
Views
10K
Musical resonance of a cylinder/tube with a hole in the center
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
Undergrad Wavelength to Frequency Relationship in Musical Notes
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
5K
Undergrad Why singing a note while playing a note creates a difference frequency
  • · Replies 8 ·
Replies
8
Views
2K
Verifying the Interval of a Fifth vs an Octave in Early Greek Music
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Music The Musician's Channel: Pro Musicians & Teachers Teach Music
  • · Replies 33 ·
2
Replies
33
Views
7K
High School How do sound waves interact when two radios are facing each other?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
2K
Medical Why do we enjoy listening to music?
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
4K
Undergrad Three inertial particles: Separating the twins from the paradox
  • · Replies 40 ·
2
Replies
40
Views
5K
Graduate Why do sound waves with slightly different frequencies create beats?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K