Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
www.gcownc.com
Diminished Triad Formula
A triad is a chord composed of three notes. A major triad contains the chord tones 1 3 5. A minor triad contains the
chord tones 1 b3 5. A diminished triad contains the chord tones 1 b3 b5.
A diminished arpeggio is simply a stack of minor thirds. The following example shows A diminished.
Diminished Chords
There are three basic fingerings for diminished 7th chords. Note that because a diminished 7th chord is a set of
stacked/symmetrical minor thirds, any note in the chord can be the root.
Diminished chords can slide up or down a minor third (three frets) and still be the same chord.
The chords over which you are playing will determine which scale you should use. You typically use the diminished scale
over three different chord types:
Diminished chords
Minor chords
Dominant 7th chords
Arpeggio
A diminished arpeggio can be used over any of the ‘diminished-friendly’ chords: diminished, minor, and dominant 7. Play
the arpeggio from the root of the chord.
Note the intervals you get with this scale. They are all either chord tones or common tensions of a minor chord.
b3rd, a chord tone of both diminished and 4th, used as a suspension, as in:
minor chords
b5th, a chord tone of a diminished chord; also a #5th, enharmonically the same as a b6 or b13, a
common minor chord tension as in: common minor chord tension as in:
7th, a common tension as in: Because of the chord tones and tensions, the diminished
whole-half scale works best over diminished and minor
chords.
Note the intervals you get with this scale. They are all either chord tones or common tensions of a dominant 7 chord.
b3rd, not a chord tone, but a ‘blues note’ straight 3rd, a chord tone
out of the minor pentatonic scale. Also can be
called a #2, or a #9, as in the altered dominant
‘Jimi Hendrix chord’ chord:
bb7th, or 6th, also called a 13th, a common tension b7th, a chord tone
as in:
Because of the chord tones and tensions, the diminished half-whole scale works best over dominant 7 chords. This
scale does not work well over minor/diminished chords because the major 3rd of the scale clashes with the minor 3rd in
the minor/diminished chords.
Remember that just like a diminished chord, this scale fingering can be moved up or down a minor third (three frets) all
over the neck.
Remember that just like a diminished chord, this scale fingering can be moved up or down a minor third (three frets) all
over the neck.
In the next pair of figures below, the scale shifts one fret to maintain the same root note (A). When your ring finger is
the root, you have half-whole. When your pinky is the root, you have whole-half. In this case, both scales are A
diminished. The first is A diminished half-whole and the second is A diminished whole-half.
If you know your triad fingerings, you will recognize the major triad shape (a D-chord shape) embedded in the
diminished scale fingering. In the figure above, one extra note (the major 3rd) has been added on the high E string to
extend the scale. Here’s a simplified way to think of this.
There are three bars in a 12-bar blues where the diminished scale is appropriate.
Move the root up one fret, turning the root note into a b2, or a b9. Notice this is one of the diminished chord fingerings
from earlier (with the addition of the repeated note on the high E string).
You can always play a diminished whole-half scale over a diminished chord. So one option is to play D# whole-half over
the D# diminished chord. Another way to think about it is playing a D half-whole over a D7alt chord. As it happens, D#
whole-half and D half-whole are the same! Try it:
Play the 4th string, 13th fret with your pinky. Remember the pinky is the whole-half root.
This gives you D# whole-half.
Notice where your ring finger is. At the 12th fret (D). This gives you D half-whole.
They are the same!
For half-whole, your ring finger plays the root on the 4th string.
For whole-half, your pinky plays the root on the 4th string.
In a blues, reference the minor pentatonic played from the I chord:
o the I chord’s diminished scale is in the same position as the minor pentatonic (ring finger root)
o the IV chord’s diminished scale is a half-step down from the minor pentatonic (ring finger root)
o the V chord’s diminished scale is a half-step up from the minor pentatonic (ring finger root)
Lastly – it is unlikely you will ‘sound good’ using the diminished scale unless you listen to other players who incorporate
it. You want to play blues? You need to listen to blues. You want to play metal? You have to listen to metal. You want to
use the diminished scale? You have to listen to others who use it. Mike Stern, Scott Henderson, John Scofield, Larry
Carlton, Tom Quayle – just a few of the fusion giants you can search on YouTube with ‘diminished’ after their names to
hear how they apply it. Search for Matt Schofield, Josh Smith, and Robben Ford for more traditional blues integrating
the diminished scale.