How to Use Diminished 7th Chords - Music Composition
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Date: 2022-03-28
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Comments and reviews: 10
palutalu
Thanks for the video, this has been so useful in understanding this topic. The first time through I got slightly confused, but I left it a day and just watched through again, and now it makes sense!.
I just have one question:
Relating to what you show towards the end of the video, how by choosing which note in the minor 7th chord you want to represent the 1st scale degree of the chord, you can then determine various different suitable chords for it to resolve to, and so resolve it to a chord in a different key to the one in which the minor 7th was approached. In this context, is it right to refer to the minor 7th as a 'pivot chord'? And it it common/acceptable practice to use minor 7ths in this way to move from one key to another?
Many thanks once again
Paul
EDIT: You tube just recommended to me you video on -Modulation using Diminished 7ths- in which you answer this!
reply
Thanks for the video, this has been so useful in understanding this topic. The first time through I got slightly confused, but I left it a day and just watched through again, and now it makes sense!.
I just have one question:
Relating to what you show towards the end of the video, how by choosing which note in the minor 7th chord you want to represent the 1st scale degree of the chord, you can then determine various different suitable chords for it to resolve to, and so resolve it to a chord in a different key to the one in which the minor 7th was approached. In this context, is it right to refer to the minor 7th as a 'pivot chord'? And it it common/acceptable practice to use minor 7ths in this way to move from one key to another?
Many thanks once again
Paul
EDIT: You tube just recommended to me you video on -Modulation using Diminished 7ths- in which you answer this!
reply
Benjy
At 20:23, another trick is to use the diminished chord as a -pivot window- which allows you to modulate between 2 very distant keys, say C minor to E major. All one has to do is to raise or lower just ONE of ANY of the 4 notes and then resolve the chord to the target modulation. For ex: Play C minor (C, Eb, G, C), then lower the G to Gb (C, Eb, Gb, A) which will give you C dim , and finally lower the C to a B: (B, Eb [or D #], F# [or Gb], and A). The new chord becomes the dominant 7th of E major: B, D#, F#, A. This method is comparable to the saying - The shortest distance between any 2 points is a straight line-.
reply
At 20:23, another trick is to use the diminished chord as a -pivot window- which allows you to modulate between 2 very distant keys, say C minor to E major. All one has to do is to raise or lower just ONE of ANY of the 4 notes and then resolve the chord to the target modulation. For ex: Play C minor (C, Eb, G, C), then lower the G to Gb (C, Eb, Gb, A) which will give you C dim , and finally lower the C to a B: (B, Eb [or D #], F# [or Gb], and A). The new chord becomes the dominant 7th of E major: B, D#, F#, A. This method is comparable to the saying - The shortest distance between any 2 points is a straight line-.
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David
Hi, are you stating that in both C major and C minor (harmonic) that diatonically speaking in both cases chord VII would be a diminished 7th? This isn't the case, in the key of C major chord VII is B Half diminished or Bm7b5. You state that it is 'logical' for a diminished 7th chord to be built on a diminished chord. I can see how you can make arguments for this compositionally but you are speaking about working diatonically in C major. Simply put there is no Ab in the key of C major. Or am I missing something? Thanks.
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Hi, are you stating that in both C major and C minor (harmonic) that diatonically speaking in both cases chord VII would be a diminished 7th? This isn't the case, in the key of C major chord VII is B Half diminished or Bm7b5. You state that it is 'logical' for a diminished 7th chord to be built on a diminished chord. I can see how you can make arguments for this compositionally but you are speaking about working diatonically in C major. Simply put there is no Ab in the key of C major. Or am I missing something? Thanks.
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Lou
Absolutely love and appreciate your delivery and simple easy to underatand approach! I have one question.. hope you can write back. I noticed in the beginning of the video when you were explaining the chords in the minor key you stated chords V and VI are major. Isn't this only for the harmonic minor? As a natural minor will have a minor v chord. And you stated that the III chord is augmented. Thats from harmonic as i understand. Thanks
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Absolutely love and appreciate your delivery and simple easy to underatand approach! I have one question.. hope you can write back. I noticed in the beginning of the video when you were explaining the chords in the minor key you stated chords V and VI are major. Isn't this only for the harmonic minor? As a natural minor will have a minor v chord. And you stated that the III chord is augmented. Thats from harmonic as i understand. Thanks
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education
Thank you for tour video. You say that the thirds have to be authentic to have the root of the 7dim chord. At 22:08, you suggest changing the Ab note into G# and then modulate to Amin or A Maj. But if you are in A Maj, your chord is not authentic because the note F in the chord should be F#. Do we agree that you then modulate only to Aminor?
Kind regards
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Thank you for tour video. You say that the thirds have to be authentic to have the root of the 7dim chord. At 22:08, you suggest changing the Ab note into G# and then modulate to Amin or A Maj. But if you are in A Maj, your chord is not authentic because the note F in the chord should be F#. Do we agree that you then modulate only to Aminor?
Kind regards
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Tim
I'm confused with determining the key and root position of Dim. 7chords. Consider the notes E, Db, G, Bb.; This is a root position E dim7 from the key of F harmonic minor? Same pitches as A#, E, C#, G.; This is a root position A# dim7 from the key of B harmonic minor? This chord is in both keys? How do I know how to name the notes Db or C# and Bb of A#?
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I'm confused with determining the key and root position of Dim. 7chords. Consider the notes E, Db, G, Bb.; This is a root position E dim7 from the key of F harmonic minor? Same pitches as A#, E, C#, G.; This is a root position A# dim7 from the key of B harmonic minor? This chord is in both keys? How do I know how to name the notes Db or C# and Bb of A#?
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Elliott
Very nice! I always get the impression that traditional music theory and jazz approach diminished seventh chords in some very different ways (but naturally, some of the same ways as well). I'm always looking for ways to connect a diminished chord to a diminished scale, and then thinking about the families of chords associated with it.
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Very nice! I always get the impression that traditional music theory and jazz approach diminished seventh chords in some very different ways (but naturally, some of the same ways as well). I'm always looking for ways to connect a diminished chord to a diminished scale, and then thinking about the families of chords associated with it.
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sksigil
OK I'm thoroughly confused now.
I always thought half diminished 7th was part of the major key and full diminished 7th was part of the minor key.
Why are we flattening the 7th of the diminished chord in the major key? Where does that Ab come from in the B diminished 7th in C major?? I don't get it :( :(
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OK I'm thoroughly confused now.
I always thought half diminished 7th was part of the major key and full diminished 7th was part of the minor key.
Why are we flattening the 7th of the diminished chord in the major key? Where does that Ab come from in the B diminished 7th in C major?? I don't get it :( :(
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MTaur
Lately I've been using ii - iio7/V as a spicy ii - V. Maybe I use it a bit too much. It's not the only way to ii - V but it sure is addicting. Or maybe that's just Vb9, who knows? My only thought is that the diminished notation is more suggestive of how to spread out the voices.
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Lately I've been using ii - iio7/V as a spicy ii - V. Maybe I use it a bit too much. It's not the only way to ii - V but it sure is addicting. Or maybe that's just Vb9, who knows? My only thought is that the diminished notation is more suggestive of how to spread out the voices.
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Minh
This was very helpful. I don't have much formal training, but as I progressed in my guitar playing, I noticed these concepts in the music, but didn't know how or why. This lesson connected the dots, at least for the diminished 7th chord resolution. Thanks.
reply
This was very helpful. I don't have much formal training, but as I progressed in my guitar playing, I noticed these concepts in the music, but didn't know how or why. This lesson connected the dots, at least for the diminished 7th chord resolution. Thanks.
reply
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