Major triad with ♭5; unstable major-family sonority with tritone-flavored interior.
Intervals from the root that spell this chord and its chord tones.
Scales that contain this chord’s notes and usually fit over it.
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The major flat5 chord keeps a major third but replaces the perfect fifth with a diminished fifth (♭5). A core formula is 1-3-♭5. This creates a paradoxical quality: the third signals "major," while the fifth destabilizes the triad through tritone tension. For that reason, it is less a default tonal harmony and more a chromatic color sonority in modern writing.
Think of it as a major triad with altered fifth: in C(♭5), one spelling is C-E-G♭. Depending on context, the same pitch set can be reinterpreted as part of larger altered dominant or polychord structures, so spelling and bass function should guide analysis.
The chord sounds bright yet fractured: major identity from the third, instability from the tritone to root. Compared with ordinary major, it feels less settled and more directional, even without adding sevenths or extensions.
| Name | Aliases | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| C sharp Lydian | - | Beginner |
| C sharp Altered | super locrian, diminished whole tone, pomeroy | Easy |
| C sharp Chromatic | - | Easy |
| C sharp Leading whole tone | - | Easy |
| C sharp Whole tone | messiaen's mode #1 | Easy |
| - | Easy | |
| - | Easy | |
| lydian b7, overtone | Intermediate | |
| arabian | Intermediate | |
| - | Intermediate | |
| - | Intermediate | |
| chinese | Intermediate | |
| - | Expert | |
| - | Expert | |
| - | Expert | |
| - | Expert | |
| - | Expert | |
| dominant diminished, messiaen's mode #2 | Expert | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| superlocrian bb7, superlocrian diminished | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru | |
| - | Guru |
Common uses include short passing color between stable harmonies, chromatic inner-voice motion, fusion comping accents, and cinematic cues where harmony should feel almost-major but uneasy.
Keep the major third audible, avoid muddy low-register clustering, and treat ♭5 as an active tone that often resolves by semitone. In ensemble settings, make sure bass and comping agree on function to avoid accidental ambiguity.
Major(♭5) usually behaves as a transitional sonority rather than a cadential resting point. Small voice-leading moves from ♭5 to 5, or from 3 toward 4, can quickly reframe the chord toward clearer tonal destinations.
Train the contrast between major triad stability and major(♭5) tritone bite. The immediate clue is hearing a major third above the root while the fifth feels "tilted" instead of grounded.
| Interval | semitones | Note | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect unison | 0 | C♯ | ||
| Major third | 4 | E♯ | ||
| Diminished fifth | 6 | G |