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

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Discussion Overview

The discussion explores the concept of musical intervals that evoke a "creepy" sound similar to the so-called "Devil's Interval," specifically the augmented fourth. Participants examine various musical chords and intervals, considering their emotional or aesthetic impact in music.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Debate/contested, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether other musical intervals can create a similar eerie effect as the augmented fourth, mentioning attempts to identify odd chords on a guitar.
  • Another participant suggests specific chords, including a 7th with a sharped 9th and variations, as potentially contributing to a creepy sound.
  • A different viewpoint challenges the notion of the "Devil's Interval" as a myth, asserting that it was not banned in ecclesiastical contexts and appears in medieval and renaissance music, although it was used cautiously as a dissonance.
  • One participant identifies a minor add 9 chord as a classic example of a creepy arpeggio in metal music.
  • Another participant notes that a specific piece, Andrea Catozzi's Beelzebub, does not prominently feature the Devil's Interval despite expectations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the existence and impact of the "Devil's Interval," with some asserting its significance while others dispute its relevance or historical context. The discussion remains unresolved regarding which intervals definitively create a creepy sound.

Contextual Notes

Some claims depend on subjective interpretations of musical aesthetics, and there are unresolved assumptions about the emotional impact of specific intervals and chords.

symbolipoint
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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)
 
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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!
 

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