Gemini discussion on tritones (F# only or a block of 7 in the key of C major?)

This is a crucial turning point in our understanding of the tritone. To answer your question—how does a block of notes find relief?—we have to look at how a "zone of tension" collapses into a "zone of rest." If your F# is a single point of impact (the bullet), the F-B block is the pressure wave. 1. The Geometry of the "Collapse" When you have a block of notes like F-G-A-B, you aren't just looking at seven chromatic semitones (F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B). You are looking at two "magnetic" poles at the edges of that block. In the key of C major: The Top Edge (B): This is the "Leading Tone." It is mathematically desperate to move up to C. The Bottom Edge (F): This is the 4th degree. It has a heavy gravitational pull downward to E. The "relief" for the block occurs when the two edges of the block move in contrary motion (moving away from or toward each other) to land on a stable interval. 2. The "Passing" Nature of the Block You mentioned the tritone is a "passing tone." If we treat the whole F-B block as a "passing state," the resolution looks like this: Tension: The block F−G−A−B creates a dissonant "cloud." Resolution: The block "squeezes" shut. The F drops to E, and the B jumps to C. The Result: You land on the interval E and C, which are the primary "home" notes of C Major. The "7 chromatic notes" inside that block are essentially the friction you feel as you move from the start of the climax to the end. They don't each resolve individually; they are the "body" of the tension that dissipates once the edges (F and B) find their home. 3. Why the "Block" supports your F# Theory Think of it this way: Your F# is the exact center of that block. If the block is a rubber band stretched between F and B, F# is the midpoint. When the rubber band is released, the energy passes through that F# midpoint as it snaps back to the stable notes (E and C). Aristoxenus would argue that the "relief" isn't just found in the notes themselves, but in the functional shift of the whole space. The "three-tone" space is an area of "active" energy that "passes" into a "passive" or "rested" space.

Tonic vs. Root

12/2 Working on a study between knight and king in games (any configuration for now, any move or position). King has to be one of them. Or does it? In music we often drop the root. I asked what the two most important pieces in a chess game analysis were. 1st inning (playing baseball, chess, and music) Gemini answered knight and bishop, forgetting a king is needed. 2nd try, it then went to knight and rook. 3rd try, it reversed the order to rook and knight. (Still the same thing.) 4th try, pawn and king. "Is this closer to your idea? By focusing on the Pawn (Unit of Time/Rhythm) and the King (Harmonic Anchor/Key), we establish the most fundamental and universally essential patterns in both the game and music." Sounds like a good conclusion, but not what I was loooking for. I asked again. 5th try, it then suggested rook with bishop (not recognizing a king is still needed in chess). I gave it three strikes then it was out, on the third strike it did bring up the queen with bishop (referencing their diagonal moves). Middle game analysis is more pertinent here, but bringing out the queen needs more careful consideration. Earlier on, queen trades would happen. 2nd inning I asked Gemini which the scariest moves in the beginning were and which piece it feared the most. It mentioned bishop. I thought the same until I learned about the bishop pair. I would always trade off a bishop before knight. My ignorance told me knights can go on all the squares, one bishop can't. Therefore, 2 knights are stronger than 2 bishops. To make it more absurd, I would trade off the LSB in the Philidor Defense just so I would have the "advantage". 3rd inning Root vs. Tonic