Tritone

The Tritone – The devil’s interval

The tritone is a specific interval of 6 half steps. This interval has some interesting properties, so interesting in fact that it was banned in music by the Catholic Church for hundreds of years. It was known as the devil’s interval.

The tritone is a half step below the perfect fifth, the most euphonic of intervals and the most natural at the half division of the octave. Being just below the fifth provides a different kind of dissonance, not quite are raw as that of the minor second, but equally innerving when the two notes are played in unison, something about it is just not quite comfortable.

The most interesting property of the tritone is how we perceive it. When a tritone is played within one octave, each listener is subject to hear it differently. When it is used within the confines of a piece of music, the context in which it is used masks this, however taken on its own and free of neighboring notes, some will hear the interval ascending, others descending.

There is no known reason for this however there is one widely accepted theory that explains several other interesting things discovered while investigating the tritone. We find that while each person hears the interval differently, they all hear it consistently and predictably. In one subject, F # to C may be perceived as falling and F to C# as rising, but almost always the same way.

The most widespread theory explaining this phenomenon is how the brain organizes the perception of musical notes.

The chart to the right shows a circle containing the 12 musical pitches, think of it as you see it on the screen, vertically with a top an a bottom geographically speaking. At this specific orientation of the wheel, the jump of C to F# would require dropping straight down the wheel, where going from F to B would be climbing right up. These intervals are always perceived this way. What about going from A to D#? There is no sideways in music, only up or down, and this is where we become confused. We are uncertain whether the note rises or falls because in the wheel, it does neither.

Below you will see two charts depicting how two different subjects hear an octave of tritones. If you look at the data, you will see it lines up perfectly with the explanation provided by the wheel theory above.

All charts taken from

- http://deutsch.ucsd.edu/psychology/pages.php?i=206

Glory Road

This week in Project Based Science we took some time to talk about black history month and watch the film Glory road, we were given some questions to respond to as a part of the assignment, these are my responses

Glory road is set during the peak of the civil rights movement, what situations in the movie stood out to you as being very different from how people are treated today?

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Much from this time period is different; I think the most clear example of which is the player being beaten in the bathroom simply because of his skin’s melanin concentration. Animosity still exist, I won’t try and deny that, however it is no longer socially acceptable. It is held privately and cannot be openly stated. This throws an interesting dynamic on the issue. Despite what people may feel, they cannot simply flaunt it openly, they will be judged, and the justice system has come leaps and bounds forward in offering blacks the same protection as their white counterparts. That said violence like this is not what it was. 

Coach Don Haskins and the team members are challenged to confirm their core beliefs and values, and to stand up for what they know is right, have you ever stood up for something you know is right?

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Note - Names have been changed to protect the innocent

The most significant example from my recent life in standing up for what I believe is right against opposition is the story of Gustavo Albertson. I have known Gustavo since the 6^th grade, he was for quite some time one of my best friends. He is a brilliant individual, rife with potential, but lacking in motivation. Because of this, he has made some very poor decisions over the years. After dropping out of high school to attend CC, and sequentially dropping out of CC, his life spiraled into a terrible cycle of drug use, physical and emotional abuse of those close to him, and very poor hygiene. He was dating a girl, Kathryn. Victoria was homeless before she met Taylor, and was soon living with him. I met her while hanging out with Gustavo on one of his better days. Things went well with them for some time, however soon they began to deteriorate. Gustavo became constantly angry, lashing out it fits of verbal and sometime physical abuse. He became incredibly paranoid of the slightest things, jealous of any contact she had with the outside world, not an hour going by without brash accusations of infidelity and treachery. I saw what was happening to Taylor, as he was decaying, and what he was doing to Kathryn. I could not permit that to go on any longer, I began to interfere. I talked to them both, trying to get Victoria to see what she was doing to herself by staying with him, trying to get Gustavo to see what he was doing to her. After ages of discontented stagnancy, one particularly large fight lead to their first “break up” for a few days I could see Victoria happy for the first time since the first day I had met her, soon they went back to each other, again unhappy, again in frequent, violent outbursts daily. I began to interfere more, eventually splitting them up. I know many people may think it was not my place to dabble in other peoples affairs. However I know that I could not sit idly by and watch two people that I love destroy each other. Abuse is one thing I simply can not condone; anyone who would sit by and just allow this destruction to go on is nothing more than a coward. Now that they are broken up I have never seen Victoria happier, she is becoming the person she used to be, she is pulling away from her addictions that she used to use as a crutch against the mess her life used to be, she is working, and she is back in favor with her family who had previously ostracized her. To do this, I had to jeopardize one of my longest standing friendships, Gustavo has not forgiven me, I don’t know if he ever will, but the person he is now is not the friend I used to hold, and not a person I can wrap myself up in.

 In your opinion, why is the story behind glory road such an important story to tell?

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The story of the movie glory road tells about the struggle for acceptance of a group of black students in a predominantly white world of basketball at the time. Nothing had ever been done before anywhere near the extent of what they did. By winning the national championships they showed the nation that blacks were just as capable on the court as whites, and in this case, even better. Their fight was not simply for a trophy, but for the standing of their race. This was an important battle to fight. Because this story is more than just a basketball game, because of what it represented for the black community and for Division 1 basketball, it is worth telling. This story is still relevant today as a reminder of what we came from, where we are going to, and what it took to get where we are today as a society.

Conductive Deafness

Conductive Deafness

            Conductive deafness is a form of hearing loss resulting from vibrations being unable to reach the receptors of the cochlea. Many of us have experienced this at some point for some short length of time.

 The most common form of conductive deafness is due to a buildup of cerumen, or earwax in the auditory canal. If this build up spans the entire breadth of the auditory canal, this can cause temporary loss of hearing in the effected ear. In most cases the blockage will pass with time, however in more severe cases removal may be necessary. Also common are external ear infections which can similar blockages of the auditory canal. Less common are other causes such as tumors, “surfers ear” (exostosis within the auditory canal) and

Conductive deafness can also result from problems with the tympanic membrane; perforation is a common form of this. Trauma, explosions, ridiculously loud noises or sever pressure changes all can result in ear drum perforation. In most cases the tympanic membrane will heal reasonably quickly, taking on average about a week. In some cases however surgical intervention may be necessary. After healing hearing will most likely return to fully normal. Dramatic pressure changes that are not quickly equalized can result in a temporary loss in hearing sensitivity as the tympanic membrane is pulled much tauter than usual and unable to freely vibrate.

In the middle ear fluid accumulation is a common form of conductive deafness, usually caused by some form of infection. This accumulation prevents the free movement of the ossicles and tympanic membrane drastically reducing hearing conductivity.

In most cases conductive deafness is treated easily, in the event of infections with antibiotics, blockages with removal, and in some cases, a special hearing aid designed to bypass the problem if it can not be safely removed.