Lesson Goal: To name, spell, hear, and visualize the keyboard layout for the most commonly used Diminished 7th Chords…
Table of Contents
Lesson Goal
To quickly internalize Diminished Seventh Chords in all spellings… using all four musical intelligences.
Prerequisites
Basic music reading skills… the LOVE of music… and the discipline to study and practice.
Chord Structure for Diminished 7th Chords
The Chord Structure for all Diminished 7th Chords = 1-b3-b5-bb7 (Diminished Triad + bb7).
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Spelling Diminished 7th Chords
Learn to spell each diminished 7th chord just as you spell any four-letter word in English. For example, you spell home H-O-M-E and part P-A-R-T. Likewise, you spell a C diminished 7th chord C-Eb-Gb-Bbb and D diminished 7th chord D-F-Ab-Cb.
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Common Uses for Diminished 7th Chords
- Dominant viiº7 in a Major or Minor Tonality.
- Secondary Dominant (viiº/x) in a Major, Minor, or Blues tonality.
- Modulation to a new key center as viiº7 of the new Key.
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C Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Cº7 or Cdim7
- Spelling = C-Eb-Gb-Bbb (C Diminished Triad + Bbb)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in Db Major.
Special Note: Don’t get hung up on the names of the notes. What really matters is the sound, function, and visuospatial awareness of where the physical keys are.
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C# Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Cº#7 of C#dim7
- Spelling = C#-E-G-Bb (C# Diminished Triad + Bb)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in D Major or D Minor.
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D Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Dº7 or Ddim7
- Spelling = D-F-Ab-Cb (D Diminished Triad + Cb)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in Eb Major or Eb Minor.
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D# Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: D#º7 or D#dim7
- Spelling = D#-F#-A-C (D# Diminished Triad + C)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in E Major or E Minor.
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E Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Eº7 of Edim7
- Spelling = E-G-Bb-Db (E Diminished Triad + Db)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in F Major or F Minor.
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E# Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: E#º7 of E#dim7
- Spelling = E#-G#-B-D (E# Diminished Triad + D)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in F# Minor.
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F Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Fº7 of Fdim7
- Spelling = F-Ab-Cb-Ebb (F Diminished Triad + Ebb)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in Gb Major.
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F# Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: F#º7 of F#dim7
- Spelling = F#-A-C-Eb (F# Diminished Triad + Eb)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in G Major or G Minor.
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Fx Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Fxº7 or Fxdim7
- Spelling = Fx-A#-C#-E (Fx Diminished Triad + E)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in G# Minor.
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G Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Gº7 or Gdim7
- Spelling = G-Bb-Db-Fb (G Diminished Triad + Fb)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in Ab Major.
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G# Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: G#º7 or G#dim7
- Spelling = G#-B-D-F (G# Diminished Triad + F)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in A Major or A Minor.
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A Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Aº7 or Adim7
- Spelling = A-C-Eb-Gb (A Diminished Triad + Gb)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in Bb Major.
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A# Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: A#º7 or A#dim7
- Spelling = A#-C#-E-G (A# Diminished Triad + G)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in B Major or B Minor.
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B Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: Bº7 or Bdim7
- Spelling = B-D-F-Ab (B Diminished Triad + Ab)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in C Major or C Minor.
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B# Diminished 7th Chord
- Chord Symbol: B#º7 or B#dim7
- Spelling = B#-D#-F#-A (B# Diminished Triad + A)
- Primary Function: Dominant viiº7 in C# Minor.
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Thanks
Appreciate the appreciation, mate