diminished chords ?

[the other side]

How frequently do you use them ?

[scriv58]

a lot in ragtime and rev gary davis tunes

[MissouriPicker]

I'll use 3-4 of them once in a while, just to make a progression sound a little different. I think I know 3-4 of them...lol... Might use something, for example like a C7 for a couple beats among 4 beats that are usually just a G or G7 chord. I'm far from a great guitar player. Barely adequate, but I've learned to use a continuous mixture of chords and chord fragments, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides all-around the neck. I don't go above the 7th fret a lot, but I use (for example in a G, C, D progression) literally 4-5 forms of each of those chords throughout the song. Some are full chords, some are 2-3 note fragments, some simple 5-6 note riffs in place of a chord. I just try to keep the music interesting for the listener. Plus, being familiar with all these chord variations and substitutions, it's pretty easy to often have the song melody as part of what I'm playing..... Back to the diminished chords---from what I understand, they mostly work best with 7th chords and that's where I generally try to use them for a few beats.

[L5Larry]

As you might imagine, as a jazz player, I use diminished chords fairly often, and half-diminished chords probably even more.

 

Diminished chords are generally used as a "passing chord" on the way to somewhere else, and give an implied half-step up sound to a chord run. There is one main form using the top four strings, and they are easily grabbed and very movable as ANY of the four notes fingered can be the "root".

 

The key to making the use of dim chords sound even more interesting is to keep it moving, as any dim chord played three frets apart is technically still the same chord. You can use it for extended duration by moving it up or down from one end of the neck to the other.

 

Other interesting chords in the same family are the "half-diminished" (m7, b5) and "minor 6th" (b3, b7), two of my favorites. Many instructionals also group the diminished and augmented chords together, as they are generally use similarly as "passing chords".

[Mickthemiller]

And here's me thinking that a diminished chord was one that died away quickly rather than reverberating around the sound box

[capmaster]

And here's me thinking that a diminished chord was one that died away quickly rather than reverberating around the sound box

This is a good one!

 

All kidding aside, the definition of "diminished" is the fly in the ointment. Not every diminished triad is defined as a diminished chord. The triads built up on a major scale's 7th step belong here like B-D-F in C major, although seen apart from key the interval B-F is a tritonus. The latter is the only denomination that is always correct for an interval of six half steps. Depending on key and notation, sometimes even enharmonic, all the rest of the nomenclature may vary and can be very puzzling. I don't want to discuss it further here but just mention the example that augmented chords in open positions are called diminished. And this is only where the trouble begins. :unsure:

 

Best thing is not thinking about theory and using them when they match the mood of a song or piece of music. As a composer I mainly use diminished stuff when I want to achieve a kitschy weltschmerz expression, and it always works nicely. Into the bargain, I sometimes add lots of reverb!

[BluesKing777]

I love a good diminished chord and an augmented chord but to really drive the weirdos out of there houses around here, I have the cross between dim and aug called the DEMENTED chord!

 

Last time I played it 'live', it made the metal plate from a car accident in this chap's head vibrate badly, causing him to grin wildly while shaking up the dance floor. Of course that seemed enough encouragement for me to play the DEMENTED chord again....but I found out after the gig that the bouncers were holding him down trying to stop him murdering me! All true!

 

 

BluesKing777.

[capmaster]

I love a good diminished chord and an augmented chord but to really drive the weirdos out of there houses around here, I have the cross between dim and aug called the DEMENTED chord!

 

Last time I played it 'live', it made the metal plate from a car accident in this chap's head vibrate badly, causing him to grin wildly while shaking up the dance floor. Of course that seemed enough encouragement for me to play the DEMENTED chord again....but I found out after the gig that the bouncers were holding him down trying to stop him murdering me! All true!

 

 

BluesKing777.

OH MY GOD! Unfathomable what scary things can happen!

[Rambler]

How frequently do you use them ?

Here's a few: T-Bone Walker /Stormy Monday, Ray Charles / Drown in my Own Tears, Taj Mahal / Se Caught the Katy, Jerry Garcia / Deal.

[Pesh]

I've just been given some material by my tutor which involves some starter diminished chords; they look fun to try