{"id":20147,"date":"2021-09-25T11:21:36","date_gmt":"2021-09-25T09:21:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/edwinm29.sg-host.com\/?p=20147"},"modified":"2025-07-17T10:47:12","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T08:47:12","slug":"diminished-chord","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding diminished chords in music"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_86 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #103133;color:#103133\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #103133;color:#103133\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/#What_is_a_diminished_chord\" >What is a diminished chord?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/#Types_of_diminished_chords\" >Types of diminished chords<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/#Diminished_triad\" >Diminished triad\u00a0<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/#The_diminished_seventh_chord_%C2%B07\" >The diminished seventh chord (\u00b07)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/#The_half-diminished_chord_m7%E2%99%AD5\" >The half-diminished chord (m7\u266d5)<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/#How_to_practice_diminished_chords\" >How to practice diminished chords?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/diminished-chord\/#Diminished_vs_augmented_chords\" >Diminished vs. augmented chords<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diminished chord is one of the most useful and often misunderstood sounds in music theory. To many people, it sounds quite dissonant and unattractive. The diminished chord is very useful when used properly. The dim chord, as it is also known, has interesting intervallic properties that we can study and incorporate into many musical situations. Understanding this chord is a vital part of music theory and a must have piece of harmonic vocabulary for any musician. This Skoove article is here to help you understand how to play, construct and use this useful chord. Read on to learn the secrets of the diminished chord in music theory!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-sheets-value=\"{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;&lt;div class=&quot;componentContainer&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;row&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;column&quot;&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;h2Notable&quot;&gt;Start your musical journey&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;ul&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Fall in love with the music -&lt;\/strong&gt; Learn your favorite songs, at a level suitable for you.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Enjoy interactive piano lessons -&lt;\/strong&gt; Explore courses covering music theory, technique chords &amp; more.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/li&gt;&lt;li&gt;&lt;span&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get real-time feedback -&lt;\/strong&gt; Skoove&#039;s feedback tells you what went well and what needs practice.&lt;\/span&gt;&lt;\/li&gt;&lt;\/ul&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;div class=&quot;column&quot;&gt;&lt;img src=&quot;\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/optimized\/iPhone15-1A-3-800.webp&quot; alt=&quot;&quot; width=&quot;1024&quot; height=&quot;846&quot; class=&quot;alignnone size-large&quot; \/&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;\/small&gt;&lt;a class=&quot;skooveButton skooveButtonWithin&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot; title=&quot;Book a trial lesson&quot; href=&quot;https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/auth\/register_promotion?coupon=7d-blog-npd&amp;utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=btf&amp;utm_campaign=7d-blog-npd&amp;t=Start%20a%207%20day%20free%20trial&amp;st=No%20credit%20card%20required!&quot; rel=&quot;noopener&quot;&gt;Book a trial lesson&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;small&gt;No credit card details required&lt;\/small&gt;&lt;\/div&gt;&quot;}\" data-sheets-userformat=\"{&quot;2&quot;:577,&quot;3&quot;:{&quot;1&quot;:0},&quot;9&quot;:1,&quot;12&quot;:0}\"><div class=\"componentContainer\"><div class=\"row\"><div class=\"column\"><div class=\"h2Notable\">Start your musical journey<\/div><ul><li><span><strong>Fall in love with the music -<\/strong> Learn your favorite songs, at a level suitable for you.<\/span><\/li><li><span><strong>Enjoy interactive piano lessons -<\/strong> Explore courses covering music theory, technique chords & more.<\/span><\/li><li><span><strong>Get real-time feedback -<\/strong> Skoove's feedback tells you what went well and what needs practice.<\/span><\/li><\/ul><\/div><div class=\"column\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/optimized\/iPhone15-1A-3-800.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"846\" class=\"alignnone size-large\" \/><\/div><\/div><small><\/small><a class=\"skooveButton skooveButtonWithin\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Book a trial lesson\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/auth\/register_promotion?coupon=7d-blog-npd&utm_source=blog&utm_medium=btf&utm_campaign=7d-blog-npd&t=Start%20a%207%20day%20free%20trial&st=No%20credit%20card%20required!\" rel=\"noopener\">Book a trial lesson<\/a><small>No credit card details required<\/small><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_is_a_diminished_chord\"><\/span><b>What is a diminished chord?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diminished triads are three note chords composed of two stacked minor third <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/understanding-piano-intervals\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">intervals<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Remember, a minor third interval is equal to three semitones, or three keys on the piano just like this.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-74858 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6.jpg\" alt=\"Three semitones on the piano keys\" width=\"325\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6.jpg 2376w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6-300x187.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6-1024x637.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6-768x478.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6-1536x955.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6-2048x1274.jpg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-6-640x398.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 325px) 100vw, 325px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diminished chord symbol is a small circle and is placed next to the letter of the chord symbol showing the diminished quality of the chord.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-74954 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/image7-2.png\" alt=\"The diminished chord symbol\" width=\"334\" height=\"188\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/image7-2.png 463w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/image7-2-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 334px) 100vw, 334px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Types_of_diminished_chords\"><\/span><b>Types of diminished chords<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s look at all the various types available and how to make diminished chords.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Diminished_triad\"><\/span><strong>Diminished triad\u00a0<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we know, diminished chords are a stack of two minor thirds. Diminished triads are the three note chords that naturally occur on the seventh degree of <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/piano-scales\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the major scale<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. All major scales have a particular ascending progression of chord qualities. The pattern of chords for all major scales is:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>Major &#8211; Minor &#8211; Minor &#8211; Major &#8211;\u00a0 Major &#8211; Minor &#8211; Diminished<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The notes of<\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/c-major-scale\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the C major scale<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are C &#8211; D &#8211; E &#8211; F &#8211; G &#8211; A &#8211; B &#8211; C. If we stack thirds, creating all the diatonic triads in this major scale, we come up with the following chords:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74962 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"C major scale\" width=\"711\" height=\"133\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-300x56.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-1024x191.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-768x143.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-1536x287.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-2048x382.jpg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-6-640x120.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 711px) 100vw, 711px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we consider the <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/difference-between-piano-chords-and-scales\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chords and scale degrees<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> we see that the diminished chord is built on the leading tone (7th note). The leading tone resolves its tension to the tonic (1st note) of the scale. This tension is the defining factor in a dim chord\u2019s sound.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s review how this diminished triad relates to both major and minor chords to understand the theory behind these fundamental <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/piano-chords\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">piano chords<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The formula for any<\/span><b> major triad <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is 1 &#8211; 3 &#8211; 5 (C &#8211; E &#8211; G).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Minor triads<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have flat third degrees, compared to a <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/major-and-minor-chords\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">major chord<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The formula for any minor triad is 1 &#8211; \u266d3 &#8211; 5 (C -E\u266d &#8211; G).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Diminished triads<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> have a flat fifth degree compared to a minor chord. The formula for a diminished triad is always 1 &#8211; \u266d3 &#8211; \u266d5 (C &#8211; E\u266d &#8211; G\u266d).\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The flattening of the fifth means that the fifth is \u2018diminished\u2019 which is where the name of the chord comes from. This combination of intervals is what gives the diminished chord its unique harmonic properties whether as a single harmonic unit or <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-play-broken-chords-on-piano\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">broken chord<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>Diminished chord formula\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s have a more in depth look at how to create three note diminished chords with a few examples.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b>C diminished<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we start from<\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/middle-c-on-piano\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">middle C<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and count up a minor third, we find E\u266d. If we count up another minor third from E\u266d, we find G\u266d. This means that a C diminished triad (C dim) is C &#8211; E\u266d &#8211; G\u266d. This is how it looks on piano. Give it a try.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-74874 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-scaled.jpg\" alt=\" C diminished triad (C dim) is C - E\u266d - G\u266d\" width=\"463\" height=\"158\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-300x102.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-1024x348.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-768x261.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-1536x523.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-2048x697.jpg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/notes-640x218.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px\" \/><\/p>\n<h5><b>F diminished<\/b><\/h5>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we start from the root note F and count up a minor third, we reach A\u266d. A minor third above A\u266d is C\u266d. This means that an F diminished triad (F dim) is spelled F &#8211; A\u266d &#8211; C\u266d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When we spell the notes of the chord, we must use the proper<\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/scale-degrees-explained\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">scale degrees<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and enharmonic spelling. C is the fifth scale degree of F, so we need to spell the chord from the root, C, even though C\u266d and B are enharmonic equivalents (share pitch). If we spelled the F diminished chord F &#8211; A\u266d &#8211; B, that would mean the formula for the diminished chord is 1 &#8211; \u266d3 &#8211; \u266f4.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now we have covered a couple of examples, try figuring out a few more diminished chords yourself. You can check them against our handy diminished chord chart.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74970 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"Diminished chord chart\" width=\"409\" height=\"529\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-scaled.jpg 1980w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-232x300.jpg 232w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-792x1024.jpg 792w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-768x993.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-1188x1536.jpg 1188w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-1584x2048.jpg 1584w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-7-640x828.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 409px) 100vw, 409px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now we have had a closer look at the diminished triad, it is time to look at the variants of the diminished chord.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_diminished_seventh_chord_%C2%B07\"><\/span><strong>The diminished seventh chord (\u00b07)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diminished seventh chord adds a note to the diminished triad we have already looked at. It is notated with a \u2018\u00b07\u2019 symbol to show the addition of a 7th degree. The diminished seventh chord is built by adding another interval on top of our triad much like any other <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/chord-extensions\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chord extension<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. The Ab is a diminished seventh interval from the root of this chord. This is where this chord gets its name from. These chords often occur in minor harmony, especially the <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/the-harmonic-minor-scale\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">harmonic minor scale<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This means a B diminished chord will consist of:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B &#8211; D &#8211; F and Ab\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-74882 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"the scale degrees properly shows the diminished quality of the 7th of this chord. \" width=\"398\" height=\"136\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-300x103.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-1024x350.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-768x263.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-1536x525.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-2048x700.jpg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-7-640x219.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diminished seven chord formula is:\u00a0 1 &#8211; \u266d3 &#8211;\u00a0 \u266d7 &#8211; \u266d\u266d7.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Again, the spelling is important here; using the scale degrees properly shows the diminished quality of the 7th of this chord. Don&#8217;t worry though, Skoove has got you covered with this table of all the diminished 7 chords.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74978 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"table of all the diminished 7 chords\" width=\"489\" height=\"656\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-scaled.jpg 1907w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-224x300.jpg 224w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-763x1024.jpg 763w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-768x1031.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-1144x1536.jpg 1144w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-1526x2048.jpg 1526w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-8-640x859.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 489px) 100vw, 489px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dim chords are interesting to play around with, you can learn more about them with<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/en\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">online piano lessons<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_half-diminished_chord_m7%E2%99%AD5\"><\/span><strong>The half-diminished chord (m7\u266d5)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The half diminished seventh chord is found as the second degree of the minor scale and is often used in the minor ii V i in jazz. It can be written as a chord symbol either as a \u2018\u00f8\u2019 or as \u2018m7b5\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-74890 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-1.jpg\" alt=\"The Half-Diminished Chord (m7\u266d5) \" width=\"619\" height=\"234\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-1.jpg 1698w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-1-300x113.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-1-1024x387.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-1-768x290.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-1-1536x581.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-1-640x242.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 619px) 100vw, 619px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This chord is constructed by stacking a major third on top of the diminished triad creating a minor seventh from the root.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>B<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; (minor third ) &#8211; <\/span><b>D <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; (minor third ) &#8211;\u00a0 <\/span><b>F<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8211; (major third ) &#8211; <\/span><b>A<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Or from the root<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A &#8211; minor seventh\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">F &#8211; diminished fifth<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">D &#8211; minor third\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">B &#8211; Root<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-74898 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"minor seven flat five chords (m7b5)\" width=\"542\" height=\"182\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-300x101.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-1024x344.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-768x258.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-1536x516.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-2048x688.jpg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-4-640x215.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The half diminished chord formula is: 1 &#8211; \u266d3 &#8211;\u00a0 \u266d7 &#8211; \u266d7.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These chords are called minor seven flat five chords as they follow the formula of the minor seventh chord but have a lowered fifth degree. They are also referred to as half diminished chords as they sit half way between the minor seven chord and the fully diminished seven chord. Here is a list of all 12 half diminished seventh chords.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-74986 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"all 12 half diminished seventh chords\" width=\"364\" height=\"658\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-scaled.jpg 1417w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-166x300.jpg 166w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-567x1024.jpg 567w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-768x1387.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-850x1536.jpg 850w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-1134x2048.jpg 1134w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/Piano-rhthym-guide-9-640x1156.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 364px) 100vw, 364px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_practice_diminished_chords\"><\/span><b>How to practice diminished chords?<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Let\u2019s take a look at how we can further understand diminished chords in music by practicing with them and using them in some common chord progressions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we have seen, in a chord progression, we can use these diminished chords in the same way we would use a dominant chord. For example you could swap out a G major chord in a C major progression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>C major &#8211; A minor &#8211; F major &#8211; G major<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a diminished chord:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b>C major &#8211; A minor &#8211; F major &#8211; B diminished<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can replace a dominant chord (chord five in a key) with a diminished chord built on the third of that chord, in this case the B of the G major chord. This introduces the diminished chord as an interesting substitute for the G major.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use diminished chords into your progressions, which will help make your songs more interesting when you<\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/how-to-play-piano\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">learn how to play piano<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best place to practice all the chords we have talked about in this article is to use the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/en\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Skoove<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> app. The diminished chord occurs in all genres from classical to pop and jazz. With help from our app, guidance and real time feedback you will have these beautiful chords mastered in no time. Try these examples of songs with diminished chords and you will experience them in the context of some of your favorite classical tunes.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 47.79% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"All the Things You Are - Frank Sinatra\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1041645584?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<span class='maxbutton-1-container mb-container'><a class=\"maxbutton-1 maxbutton maxbutton-christmas\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Start free trial\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/en\/auth\/register_promotion?coupon=7d-blog-npd\"><span class='mb-text'>Start free trial<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 47.79% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" title=\"All the Things You Are - Frank Sinatra\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1041645584?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><script src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/api\/player.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<span class='maxbutton-1-container mb-container'><a class=\"maxbutton-1 maxbutton maxbutton-christmas\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Start free trial\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/en\/auth\/register_promotion?coupon=7d-blog-npd\"><span class='mb-text'>Start free trial<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Diminished_vs_augmented_chords\"><\/span><b>Diminished vs. augmented chords<\/b><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diminished and <\/span><a href=\"\/blog\/augmented-chord\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">augmented chord<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are two very different sounding chords and are notated with either the letter \u2018aug\u2019 or a \u2018+\u2019 symbol. However, they are similar in the fact that they both are made up of stacks of the same interval. As we have seen the diminished chord is made of minor thirds the augmented triad we see here is made up of a stack of major thirds.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If we stack major thirds form C we get C\u00a0 E and G#<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-74906 aligncenter\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"major thirds form C we get C E and G#\" width=\"485\" height=\"166\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-scaled.jpg 2560w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-300x103.jpg 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-1024x350.jpg 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-768x262.jpg 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-1536x525.jpg 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-2048x700.jpg 2048w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/What-are-piano-octaves-5-640x219.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 485px) 100vw, 485px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The formula for an augmented chord is: 1 &#8211; 3 &#8211; #5<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Try playing this back to back with C diminished and pay attention to the difference in sound. The augmented triad can also be used as a substitute for dominant chords in chord progressions. You can try using both B dim and C aug in place of a G chord (the dominant chord in C) in this progression.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>C major &#8211; A minor &#8211; F major &#8211; G major<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>C major &#8211; A minor &#8211; F major &#8211; B diminished\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>C major &#8211; A minor &#8211; F major &#8211; G Augmented (G B D#)\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The diminished chord is an important concept in music theory. Learning how to incorporate it in your songs and playing can heighten the emotional depths of your music and make your playing sound more advanced.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can always learn more about music theory and more advanced chords with Skoove. Check out the interactive lessons on chords, scales and progressions and dive deeper into music theory today. Keep up the good work!<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding: 46.21% 0 0 0; position: relative;\"><iframe style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/479012867?autoplay=1&amp;loop=1&amp;title=0&amp;byline=0&amp;portrait=0&amp;muted=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class='maxbutton-1-container mb-container'><a class=\"maxbutton-1 maxbutton maxbutton-christmas\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Start free trial\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/en\/promotions\/1m-blog-npd\"><span class='mb-text'>Start free trial<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Author of this blog post:<\/strong><br \/>\nMatthew Dickman<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-67723\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Untitled-1-e1741110208918.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"196\" height=\"178\" srcset=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Untitled-1-e1741110208918.png 1730w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Untitled-1-e1741110208918-300x273.png 300w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Untitled-1-e1741110208918-1024x931.png 1024w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Untitled-1-e1741110208918-768x698.png 768w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Untitled-1-e1741110208918-1536x1397.png 1536w, \/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/Untitled-1-e1741110208918-640x582.png 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">With over a decade of experience in music education Matthew holds a BA in Music from Paul McCartney\u2019s LIPA and an MA in Composition from the University of Salford. Mathew has developed a distinctive compositional voice and approach to music theory education through his research and work in the music industry. Matthew\u2019s writing for Skoove combines experience from orchestral and media composition, and as a gigging jazz musician, to create a wholistic and accessible pedagogy for musicians of any level. Away from music, he enjoys reading and exploring nature to expand his horizons and knowledge contributing to his holistic teaching style.<\/p>\n<div class=\"editorSection\">Published by Lydia Ogn from the Skoove team<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The diminished chord is one of the most useful and often misunderstood sounds in music theory. To many people, it sounds quite dissonant and unattractive. The diminished chord is very useful when used properly. The dim chord, as it is also known, has interesting intervallic properties that we can study and incorporate into many musical &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"\/blog\/diminished-chord\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Understanding diminished chords in music<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":20252,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_titles_title":"Understanding diminished chords in music","_seopress_titles_desc":"Learn how diminished chords work, how they sound, and where to use them in music. Simple theory and examples for piano players and music learners.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"both","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":301,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music-theory"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20147"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20147\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skoove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}