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Diminished Chords

Dimished triads (the 7th degree) are rootless dominant 7th chords,
and they function just like that.
Note that when making a triad into a dom 7th by lowering the root this is the result.
However when reading a chart this is not what is meant by dimished chord. IOW when you see Gdim, everyone will play Gdim7

the first kind of dimished chord is 7dim moving to 1.. Its primary function is to act like 5 of 1..
so 1 dimished's job is to return to 1 so in cdim to c7 everything moves up 1/2 step but the root.

if you approach a chord from above its like making a 5 of statement. for ex Dflat7 to c is like a flat 5 sub of 5.
so if you approach a chord where the preponderance of half steps are moving down you get this sound in any chord quality.
iow-any kind of chord approached by its same quality from half step above gives you something like
the sound of 5 of.
Consequently any kind of chord approached from half stpe below gives you the sound of its 4. whoch is a softer sound
than the 5. see letter C

the next kind is the less known and less utilized acts like 4 of 1.. comes up in blues and traditional gospel.
it used to be used in all kinds of sings but was replaced systematically by the jazzers.
DimiNIshed Chords
2

From CHord Chemistry, miscellaneous concepts, "resolving dimished chord" p106


fdim=dim 1/2 step above 5 of a
creates a 4 chord effect, like 4min6 to 1.

A # n
4 # b n





&4 n
n
10 9 13 12 10 7 5
12 10 15 13 12 10 6 5
13 9 13 14 10 9 7 5
10 7 7
12 12 12 12 12 0

In any key, major or minor, there are 3 dimished chords that are related to the key that chromatisize the key.
1st one is 7 dimished - in C, Bdim7. All inversions would also be called bdim. could also be called by whatever
name is convienent for our thinking, so lowest note could be root etc.
B All are functioning as 7 dimished, and 7 dimished primary job is to resolve to 1. its a 5 flat9 sound without a root
B7 C B7 C

&
b b b

1 0
0 1 3 4
1 0 1 5
0 2 3 5
2 3

exercise - on all string sets of 4, useing maj7, dom7, or maj6 (when using triads there is a doubled note),
resolve each dimished chord to the nearest 1.
B7 C7 B7 C7 B7 C7 B7 C7 B7 C7
B7 C7
b b
&
b b b b b
1 0 4 3 7 7 7 7 10 12 1 0
0 0 3 5 6 5 6 8 9 12 0 1
1 0 4 4 7 5 7 9 10 12 1 3
0 2 3 5 6 5 6 10 9 10 0 2

notice that with maj7 there will always be a 1/2 step in VL and 1 note does not move.
B7 C B7 C B7 C Dom7 there will also be a whole step and instead of one note staying the same they all move.
b b examine vl in different scenarios
b b b bb
& b
4 3 7 8 10 11
3 4 6 8 9 13
4 5 7 8 10 12
3 5 6 10 9 13

stringing together a dimished chord of this type with a min7 chord you get a scale
G F7 G F7 G F7 G F7 G G F7 G F7 G
3
n #
b n # n # n #

& b # # J
J J J J
3 5 6 8 10 11 13 14 15 3 5 6 8 10
3 4 6 7 8 10 15 13 15 3 4 6 7 11
3 5 7 8 10 11 15 14 15 3 5 7 8 12
5 4 5 7 8 10 17 13 17 5 4 5 7 12

F7 F7 G G C7 G C G7 A G F7
#

n
bb # n n #
J
& J J b
etc
also Gm is companion of C7
11 14 15 6 6 10 8 6 5 3 2
10 13 15 6 5 11 8 6 5 3 1
11 14 15 7 5 10 9 7 5 3 2
10 13 17 5 5 5 5 5 1

G F7 G7 C7 experiment with inserting 7 dim7 and 1 min and 4 dom7
b n n

b
& #
etc so this can be used to chromaticize a diatonic system
3 5 6 8
as mentioned in the intro
3 4 6 8
3 5 7 9
5 4 5 8

7 dim is very common. most think of dim and like a
for this vamp
5 7 flat 9 without a root - iow it acte like 5,
G7 A7 G9
b C9 F7
G7
n C7
you can put it anywhere which is 66% true!
b
& n b n
# nn
J nJ J J J

5 3 5 6 8
3
3
5
5
3
3
3
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
3 5 5 2 4 5 8
3 5
C C7 F9 F9 C7 C7 F9
b j j # bn n n bnj j j j ## # J
& # n # # nn b #
J J J
APPROACHING FROM ABOVE SOUNDS LIKE 5 ALTERED
11 9
9 8 8 9
9 9 9 8 8 10 9 9 9 9 9
8 8 8 7 7 9 8 8 8 8
10
8
10
8
9 8 8 11
9
10
8
10
8
10
8
10
8
9

dimished chords
APPROACHING FROM BELOW
sounds like 4-1, softer sound
4
F9 F9 C7 C7 C7 E9
b
nn ETC j j n
b bn #
b
& n J J J ## nn
J

13 13 13 13 12
12 12 12 12 10 9 9 9 11
13 13 13 13 9 8 8 8 12
8 8 8 8 11
9
10
8
10
8
10
8
7

1 dimished and its relationship to 4 dominant


D a la "kind hearted woman"
F9
B7 C7 # n# A7 A

b n #
& n # b #w
w
w
# nww
J J n #w
etc w w
3 3 3 3
9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8
13 13 8 8 8 8 8 8 7 7 7 7 7 7 5 4
12 12 8 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 8 8 8 6 5
13 13 7 8 5 4
8 8 9
7
3
15
0 0 0 0 0 0

study - take 7dim and resolve to 1. start with do v2 diminished


4 voice triad (one note doubled). if root is when doing 4 dim
doubled in 1st one the 3rd will be doubled theres 2 of those
the sound that this is most similar to is in the next one. also go to minor on 3 string sets
4 dom or flat 6 dom moving back to 1 E B C B C B C B C B C B C
# n n # n n # bn
w
& #w
w # n n # #nb n
w
1/4 maj 1/4 min
1 0 4 3 7 8 10 12 1 3 4 3
5 0 1 3 5 6 8 9 13 0 1 3 4
6 1 0 4 5 7 9 10 12 1 0 4 5
5 0 2 3 5 6 10 9 14 0 1 3 5
0
the #4 dom in a blues that comes in bar 6 is 1dim moving back to 1.

B C B b C B C B C B C B C B C B C
nb # n

n # n

n b
& # # n # nn n # # n # b
n

2/4 maj 2/4 min
7 8 10 11
6 8 9 13 3 5 6 5 9 8 12 13 3 4 6 4
7 8 10 12 1 5 4 5 7 9 10 12 1 5 4 5
6 10 9 13 3 5 6 5 9 10 12 14 3 5 6 5
2 3 5 7 8 10 11 15 2 3 5 6

dimished chords
5
B C B C
B C B C B C B C B C B C B C B C
# bn n # n b # n
& n #
# n n n # n n # bn n #bn n
n # n #
3/4 maj 3/4 min
9 8 12 13
7 8 10 12 1 0 4 5 7 9 13 12 1 0 4 5 10 8 13 12
9 10 12 13 0 2 3 5 6 10 12 14 0 1 3 5 9 10 12 13
8 10 11 15 2
1
3
3
5
4
7
8
8
7
10
12
14
13
15
15
2
1
3
3
5
4
6
8
11 10 14 15
10 11 13 15

dimished chords

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