Diminished Sounds
Guitar Techniques|June 2020
John Wheatcroft shows how to broaden your harmonic horizons, adding intrigue and sophistication using Diminished sounds.
John Wheatcroft
Diminished Sounds

Diminished chords are among the most beautiful and useful harmonic devices in jazz. In conjunction with Major, Minor and Augmented, they form a cornerstone of triadic harmony. When extended further to incorporate the 7th, our three-note triad (R-b3-b5) usually goes in one of two directions to create a four-note HalfDiminished chord (R-b3-b5-b7), or the Diminished 7th (R-b3-b5-bb7). The full Dim7 structure can be said to be symmetrical, as each note is situated a b3rd, or three frets apart, neatly dividing the octave into four equal parts.

This story is from the June 2020 edition of Guitar Techniques.

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This story is from the June 2020 edition of Guitar Techniques.

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