Notes of Departure ...and Arrival

The Desired Dissonance of the Diminished Chord, Part I

A Bridge To Be Crossed
(an in-depth look at the bridge of Cherokee)

The Desired Dissonance
of the Diminished Chord, Part II


By Greg Fishman

Last month’s article (part 1) was designed to familiarize you with the strong emotional sound of the diminished chord. This month, we’ll go deeper into the technical aspects of the chord.

INTERVALICALLY SPEAKING

The intervallic structure of the diminished chord is fascinating to me. One of my favorite sounds in music is the interval of a major 7th. The diminished chord actually contains four major 7th intervals stacked on top of each other, ascending in minor thirds. (See Example 1).


Let’s examine the B dim7 chord. From the Root to the major 7th, (B to A#) the distance is 11 half steps, or a major 7th interval. Next, if you measure from the 3rd to the 9th (D to C#), that’s also a major 7th. The pattern continues throughout the chord: 5th to 11th (F to E), and 7th to 13th (Ab to G). It’s the repeated use of this major 7th interval that gives this chord its dissonant character. To get a deeper understanding of intervals within the diminished chord, measure the distance from the root to each note in the chord, going all the way up to the flatted 13th.

NOTE REVIEW

Let’s review that eight-note diminished chord one more time. B-D-F-Ab-A#-C#-E-G. That’s a minor third, a diminished fifth, a diminished seventh, a major seventh, a major 9th, a perfect 11th and a minor 13th when all distances are measured from the root of the chord.

Of course, if you like, you can easily think of this eight-note chord as two four note chords stacked on top of one another. For example, an A# dim7 chord on top of a B dim7 chord, as it was first presented in part I of this article. (See Example 2).


With practice, your ear will start to recognize these sounds, and you will play these notes instinctively. Meanwhile, it would be a good idea to practice spelling the diminished chord from the root to 13th on all twelve chromatic names, just to be certain that you understand the concept of spelling the chords correctly.

DOUBLE FLATS

Be ready, when spelling these chords, to see lots of double flats. These occur because of the necessity to spell chords in thirds. For example, a C dim7 chord is spelled: C-Eb-Gb-Bbb. Although the Bbb sounds like an “A,” technically, it isn’t an A; it’s a Bbb.

For ease of reading, it’s routine these days to spell a C dim7 chord: C-Eb-Gb-A, but it’s only for the ease of reading that this is done. It’s fine to spell the chord this way only if you truly understand that all chords must be spelled in thirds to be spelled correctly, and that it’s simply a matter of making it easier to read when changing a letter name of a chord. (See examples 3a & 3b).

THREE DIMINISHED CHORDS

In spite of all the 21 possible spellings of diminished chords, (Cb dim7, C dim7, C# dim7, Db dim7, D dim7, D# dim7, etc.) there are in fact, only three sounding chords, when you take chord inversion into account. For example, let’s look at the first four notes of a B dim7, B-D-F-Ab. If we put the “B” on the top, and spell it D-F-Ab-B, it sounds like a D dim7. By following this pattern and using each of the four primary chord tones as roots, this B dim7 chord would be the sound equivalent of D dim7, F dim7 and Ab dim7.

Please note that this method of inversion uses simplified spelling which avoids the use of the double flats. Since each diminished chord functions on four different roots, simply repeat this process of inversion with a C dim7 and Db dim7 chord to create diminished chords on all twelve chromatic notes.

Let’s review this concept of one chord being equal to four chords. When you see a B dim7 in a chord progression, you’re really free to improvise over a B dim7, D dim7, F dim7 or A dim7.

A GREAT SHORT CUT TO SPELLING THE DIMINISHED CHORD

If you feel overwhelmed by the task of all these double flats and inversions of the diminished chords, don’t worry. If you know your dominant 7th chords, you’re already close to spelling the diminished chords.

Simply raise the root of a dominant chord by a half step and you’ll have a diminished chord built on the new root name. For example, let’s take a C7 chord, C E G Bb. Simply raise the root to C# and now you’ve got C# E G Bb, which is the correct spelling for a C# dim 7 chord.
DIMINISHED SCALES

The diminished scale is an eight-note scale that works in perfect harmony with the diminished chord. It’s made up of the same eight notes as the full chord. The only difference is that the scale form has the eight notes arranged as alternating whole steps and half steps, while the chord form is spelled in minor thirds, with the one exception of a major second interval between the diminished 7th and major 7th of the chord.

For example, let’s look at a B diminished scale: B-C#-D-E-F-G-Ab-A#-B. Notice that the root, third, fifth and seventh are the primary notes in the B dim7 chord. It’s easy to remember these notes as the “odd numbered” notes: 1, 3, 5, and 7. The even numbered notes (2, 4, 6, and 8) are the “money notes.” They represent the 9th, 11th, flatted 13th and major 7th respectively. The 9th note of the scale is the root, an octave above the 1st note of the scale. (See Example 4).

When working with the diminished scale, sequencing musical ideas is relatively simple. Take any combination of notes from the scale, and transpose the pattern by the interval of a minor 3rd higher or lower than the original idea. (See Example 5a and 5b).



The diminished scale is also commonly used in conjunction with a dominant 7th chord with a flatted 9th. You have several options for starting points. In order to start on the given root of the dominant chord, you’ll need to start the diminished scale with a half step instead of a whole step. (See Example 6).


If you’d like to still use the diminished scale starting with a whole step, you can start on the 3rd, 5th, 7th or b9th of the given dominant chord.

SERVING A DOMINANT FUNCTION

Harmonically, the diminished chord can serve a very similar function as the dominant 7th chord. A common example of this can be seen in the opening measures of a chord progression known as “Rhythm Changes.” (See Example 7a and 7b).

Example 7a features the more common “I-VI-II-V7” progression in the first two measures. Example 7b features a common chord substitution, with diminished chords replacing the second and fourth chords of the progression.

Play this progression on the piano and notice the different sound when using the diminished chord versus the dominant chords. The diminished chords still give the feeling of a dominant-to-tonic relationship. For Example, the B dim7 chord is very close, functionally, to the G7b9 chord it replaced. The B dim7 chord sounds very similar to a G7b9 in first inversion (with the third in the bass).

The explanation for the substitution of C# dim7 in place of the F7 chord (Example 7a and 7b, measure 2, beat 3) is a bit trickier to explain. With example 7a, the D min7 chord on beat 1 in measure 3 is functioning more like a Bb Maj7 chord in first inversion. The F7 preceding the D min7 chord gives emphasis to the tonic sound of the key of Bb. The F7/Eb on beat 4, measure 2, example 7a also helps highlight the tonic key of Bb.

By placing the C# dim7 chord before the Dmin7 chord, the emphasis shifts more to the sound of D minor than that of Bb Major. In essence, the C# dim7 has a similar effect to placing an A7b9 chord before the Dmin7.

When used as a dominant function, the diminished chord is usually acting as a dominant 7b9 chord in its first inversion (with the third on the bottom). The next time you’re browsing through a fake book, find some standards with diminished chords, and try treating the diminished chord’s root as the 3rd of a dominant b9 chord. You’ll find that in most cases, the dominant chord will fulfill the same function as the diminished chord, albeit without the smooth quality of the chromatic bass line of the diminished chord. Play through a few songs plugging in the substitution and I think you’ll be able to hear that the chords are quite similar in function.

LEADING TONES

Yet another way to look at the diminished scale is to simply view the even numbered notes as leading tones to the primary notes of the chord. For example, take a basic B dim7 chord: B-D-F-Ab. Now, simply insert notes that are one half step below each chord tone. This method is useful when you want to emphasize the sound of the root, 3rd, 5th and 7th, as opposed to the higher value notes, like the major 7th, major 9th, major 11th and minor 13th. (See Example 8).


MUSICAL ROADBLOCKS

Some beginning players act as though the diminished chord is some type of musical roadblock in an otherwise smooth road of major, minor and dominant chords. Your musical idea should not stop abruptly the moment the diminished chord presents itself in the progression. I’ve heard many young players abandon a great idea only to “plug-in” a practiced diminished pattern in the middle of an otherwise naturally evolving solo.

Instead of the plug-in approach, try to think of the diminished chord simply as a different road surface, like a change from a concrete road to a black tar road when you’re driving a car. You wouldn’t slam on the brakes just because the material of the road surface has changed. You might notice that the tires of your car make less noise on one surface than another, but that doesn’t mean you have to change anything about the direction in which you’re headed.

The same is true musically. Just as you can see in advance that the road is changing from concrete to black tar for a stretch of road, you will arrive at the point where your ear can hear the varying chord changes in the harmonic road ahead.

See Example 9 for a sample of a smooth musical transition through a diminished chord.

ALL IN GOOD TASTE

You can make diminished chords sound consonant or dissonant, and to varying degrees. It really depends on the context as to which approach you should take. If it seems like the diminished chord is something that’s a focal point of the chord progression, you can really highlight it by using the “money notes” and the major 7th intervals discussed in this article.

If, on the other hand, the diminished chord is simply a short passing chord, and not really an integral sound of the song, be careful not to force too many patterns or diminished licks where they don’t really fit. Being aware of the musical context, and being respectful of it, is the main key to playing with good musical taste.

INTEGRATING THESE CONCEPTS INTO YOUR PLAYING

Learning to improvise is a lifelong endeavor. You need time to absorb these concepts and integrate them into the fabric of your own playing. I suggest that you listen to the jazz greats throughout history for inspirational examples of how to communicate musical ideas through the prism of the diminished chord.

This article is © 2003 by Greg Fishman. All rights reserved.

Saxophonist Greg Fishman holds a Masters Degree in Jazz Pedagogy from Northwestern University, and is a teacher of jazz saxophone, flute and improvisation. His writing credits include three Stan Getz transcription books, published by Hal Leonard. He has played with a variety of jazz ensembles, among them, The Woody Herman Band, Louie Bellson, and Slide Hampton. He currently performs and records with guitarist/singer Paulinho Garcia, his partner in TWO FOR BRAZIL, and with pianist Judy Roberts. Visit Greg at: www.gregfishman.com and www.jazzimprov101.com.