Diminished 7th Chords: Names, Spellings, & Keyboard Layouts

Lesson Goal: To name, spell, hear, and visualize the keyboard layout for the most commonly used Diminished 7th Chords…

Chord Structure for Diminished 7th Chords

The Chord Structure for all Dominant 7th Chords = 1-b3-b5-bb7 (Diminished Triad + bb7).

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.

Common uses for Diminished 7th Chords

• 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: viiº7 in Db Major.

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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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: viiº7 in C# Minor.

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learn more… How Music Works: Chords