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Dissonance

Intervals or chords perceived as tense, unstable, and seeking resolution.

Category
harmony
Origin

Latin

Length
161 words · 1 min read

About Dissonance

Dissonance is the quality of sound that creates tension and a sense of incompleteness, driving music forward toward resolution. In Western tonal theory, intervals such as the minor second, major seventh, and tritone are considered dissonant because the frequency ratios of their component notes produce audible beating and roughness.
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