ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Tristan chord

Imagine you’re playing with your Legos and you have three blocks. Let’s call them block A, block B, and block C. You normally like to put block A and block C next to each other because they look and feel good together, but you also really like block B. Now, imagine that you want to put block B right smack dab in between block A and block C. You do this and you realize that it sounds really cool. This is a Tristan Chord!

Now, let’s translate this to music. A Tristan Chord happens when you have three notes played together that create a specific sound. These three notes are usually a root note, a major third, and a tritone. This combination of notes creates a tension between the major third and the tritone but resolves nicely back to the root note. It’s like putting block B right in between block A and block C. It creates a cool and interesting harmony that sounds different from what you had before.

Tristan Chords are named after the composer Richard Wagner, who used them often in his music, particularly in his opera “Tristan und Isolde”. The chord has been used in many other pieces of music since then and continues to be a popular tool for composers and musicians.

So, in summary, a Tristan Chord is like putting block B in between block A and block C when you’re playing with Legos. In music, it’s a combination of three notes that creates an interesting and unique harmony that adds tension and resolution to a piece of music.
Related topics others have asked about: