# Tritone used to be called Devil's Interval because how unsettling it sounds > The Tritone is one semitone lower than a Fifth. Why isn't this a Minor Fifth you ask? It has to do with the interval ratio. It has a very unpleasant ratio of 25:18 and is avoided in a lot of music because of how unpleasant it can sound. It was even banned in Renaissance church music as the Devil's Interval. Seriously. However when used well, it can be used to convey danger, defiance, violent, and confrontational. --- Source: - [Lightnote](https://www.lightnote.co/) - [NPR](https://www.npr.org/2017/10/31/560843189/the-unsettling-sound-of-tritones-the-devils-interval)