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.