How to learn music : Chords - The Diminished Chord - learning to play and read music

Learn to play more music by studying diminished chords. Chords are the building blocks of all songs, symphones, and European music as a whole. Learn about the Diminished chord in this lesson.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Review the following. There are seven notes in the Major Scale (a heptatonic scale). Each note is called a degree. In the C Major Scale [C=1, D=2, E=3, F=4, G=5, A=6, B=7] For example, You would say, "E is scale degree 3 in the C Major Scale".

2. Construct the chord. The Diminished chord is built with the root, a Minor 3rd, and a diminished 5th. The formula is also written as "1 b3 b5". You might be surprised that is isn't written '1 m3 P5. C Minor is 'C (root),Eb (minor 3rd), and Gb( diminished 5th)"

3. Spell the chord with an intervallic description: The chord is a Minor 3rd (C to Eb) and a minor 3rd (Eb to G)

4. Remember the root note is the letter name of the chord. For example C is the root of the following chords: C7, Cmin7, C7#9b13.

5. now proceed to the Augmented chord to learn more.

Tips & Warnings

• diminished chords are sometimes referred to as leading tone triads.
• Be careful, diminished triads and chords are not the same as diminished intervals.

[flashinspired]

on 4/2/2009 I like the music theory approach because it applies to more than one instrument. Thanks.