Here’s a dissonant little number named for King Solomon’s “song”—the sexiest, most funkadelic scripture of the Old Testament.
“Song of the Songs” features this bitonal chord. I once dubbed this “the Luciferean Chord” although I don’t think I know what I meant by that. “Luciferean” means something like “beautiful evil,” considering that he’s usually portrayed as an Aryan fop.
Drag over the noteheads to listen to a Luciferean E Chord.
This is a beautifully dissonant chord with a kind of Lydian feel. There is the #4 from the Lydian mode; a Major Seventh in the middle; and on top, the dreaded ♭2 from Phrygian territory. Thus, there is a note cluster of D♯, E, and F, but when spread out over many octaves the dissonance is mitigated, and it almost sounds harmonious.
The other chord featured is an A Major 7 (add ♯4). Following a simple One to Four chord progression in the root, the harmony paints a much different tonality.
Drag over the noteheads below. Switch back and forth between the two chords to hear the full progression.
All in all, the two chords create a kind of Raga with two different scales ascending and descending. It is reminiscent of the Japanese Insen scale, a composite of Lydian and Phrygian tones. E Lydian down low with A♯ Minor Pentatonic up top, and a dissonant mix in between.
Listen to “Song of the Songs” and try to pick out the two chords.
