So I'm probably going to join this local death metal band with some guys from my school who need a bassist. I've been talking to the lead guitarist a bit about it, their music, just general stuff here and there. The last time we talked, I started about how I hadn't started learning their songs (he gave me a demo two weeks earlier at a show) because I was swamped with homework over break, yada yada. Anyways, I asked if "in general" he used a lot of any one scale, like a diminished scale. We started talking a bit about theory and he just mentioned some stuff that I should be solid on for learning their music. He didn't go into detail at all. just mentioned about tritones, chromatics, diminished and chromatic scales, and made references to several of their songs.

I've been searching A LOT and have learned a great deal in these past few days about theory in general. So let me give an idea of what I know, and what I'd like to know about these topics.

Tritones
So after a lot of searching, I've learned a great deal about tritones and am pretty solid with 'em. It would be a note that's six semitones away from the other. It's in the very center between the octaves, and would be a diminished V or augmented IV. It also happens to be the normal fifth on a diminished scale (I guess there are multiple diminished scales. I'm just not sure of the name of the one I'm referring to). Apparently their use was banned by religion in the middle ages because they were thought to be satanic. so I guess they're referring to using a tritone interval in a progression, like going from from F# to C. Well, unless they're use in chords (on whatever instruments were around at that time) were banned as well, but that would mean that seventh chords would be banned because of the tritone interval of the major third and flat seventh. well, unless they only mean when the tritone involves the root, like a diminished powerchord if you will. Anyways, using 'em in chords sound sick! But anyways, that brings me to tritone substitution, which I'm pretty solid on as well. I won't go into it because its useless for me to type what I've already learned, when I'm trying to gain more knowledge from you all.

-Anyways, my question: When he mentioned tritones, what do you all think he was referring to? Maybe they use them often in progressions for their songs? Or maybe I should just know them because they are in fact a satanic death metal band, so it's just a fitting thing to know. Or what do you all think?

Chromatics
As far as my understanding goes, chromatics refer to notes that are outside of the scale and key your in. Or is it just the set of notes that are a semitone apart? I'm not sure. I thought a chromatic scale was just every note in an octave. I guess, if you take a chromatic approach to a progression as apposed to a diatonic approach, you might resolve from C#7 to Cmaj7 instead of something like G7 (the V) to Cmaj7. And depending on the feel of the song, you can do this kind of thing because of tritone substitution-the third and seventh of the G7 is B and F respectively, and the seventh and third of the C#7 is B and F. So even though they aren't the same chord, they can be interchanged because of this relationship, giving them somewhat the same voice. Though the chromatic approach creates more tension before resolving.

-Anyways, what do you think he meant when he referred to chromatics and the chromatic scale. Would he mean I should be able to keep up with fast, chromatic type riffs. Or should I know about using a chromatic approach to progressions to create a certain amount of dissonance? I really don't feel too confident about what he meant, so any thoughts would be appreciated.


Well, that's enough for the moment. That's a lot to type, so I'm very grateful if you actually read through it all and can give me some insight.

I doubt I'm telling you anything you didn't already research, but if you're interested...

Tritones aren't really a hard concept. It's just an Augmented fourth or a diminished fifth like you said. So for example, in the C major scale F natural is the fourth, so F sharp (enharmonic with G flat) would be the augmented fourth/diminished fifth. You'll know them when you hear them. It'll want to resolve to a perfect fifth.

As far as the Chromatic scale, it's just a scale using half steps, i.e. C, C sharp, D, D sharp, etc.

I tritone is the interval that give dominant chords their sound. In a dominant chord the interval between the 3rd and 7th is a tritone. It create tension that wants to be resolved typically by moving up a 4th or down a 5th your V -> I in chord progressions. You always hear about Tritone chord substitutions. They are typically dominant chords. So instead of playing a G7 you use the tritone sub of C#7. This works because the tritone in G7 (B and F), is flipped around in the C#7 (E# (F) and B). So the two identity notes are the same in both chords.

Western music has twelve tones, you play all twelve tones in order you have played a chromatic scale. Other scales are made from those twelve tones. So a major scale is using eight of the twelve tones. So you like you said play the notes note in a scale you are adding the other notes of the chromatic scale. There are many approaches to using chromatic notes. A lot of player throw them in riffs sometime they have a reason they are, others just for effect to sound fast.

Chromatics and tritones to have some relationship in that using Tritone chord substitutes create chromatic approaches to chords. So take your V to I chord change G7 to C. Use the Tritone sub of G7 which is C#7 you get a nice chromatic approach C#7 to CMa.

Actually sounds like the guitar player was blowing smoke and was just throwing terms out he's heard.

Hey thanks for the quick replies guys. Much appreciated. Here's the band, btw...http://www.myspace.com/toxicbloodline