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6.2
Triads and Sevenths: The
Foundation of All Western Tonal Harmony
6.2.1
Dissonant in Music: The Real Meaning of Dissonance
Dissonant in music means "unresolved", and is caused by pitch relationships involving complex ratios of frequencies. If deployed skillfully, the restlessness and instability of dissoance makes the music compelling to the listener in the same way that conflict in a movie or television drama makes the show interesting to watch.
If the chord contains only consonant intervals, it will sound consonant. But if it contains even one dissonant interval, the whole chord will sound dissonant (Table 36 below; Figure 41 below).
TABLE 36 Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
| Interval | Number ofSemitones | Example | Consonant/Dissonant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Second | 1 | C – C♯ | Dissonant |
| Major Second | 2 | C – D | Dissonant |
| Minor Third | 3 | C – E♭ | Consonant |
| Major Third | 4 | C – E | Consonant |
| Perfect Fourth | 5 | C – F | Consonant |
| Aug 4th or Dim 5th | 6 | C – F♯ | Dissonant |
| Perfect Fifth | 7 | C – G | Consonant |
| Minor 6th or Aug 5th | 8 | C – A♭ | Consonant |
| Major Sixth | 9 | C – A | Consonant |
| Minor Seventh | 10 | C – B♭ | Dissonant |
| Major Seventh | 11 | C – B | Dissonant |
| Octave | 12 | C – C | Consonant |
The chord C major in root position (C, E, G) consists of a major third interval (C – E) with a minor third interval stacked on top (E – G). Two consonant intervals. (These are called the internal intervals.)