How to learn music : Chords - Enharmonic Respelling of The Diminished Seventh Chord

Piano or Guitar! Come learn some neat music theory in this lesson on Chords - Enharmonic Respelling of The Diminished Seventh Chord.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. In the key of D Minor, we can build a diminished chord on the leading tone from the melodic minor scale. The leading tone is degree seven. In the case of D minor, the leading tone is C#. A diminished seventh chord built on C# is: C# (root),E (minor 3rd),G(diminished 5th),Bb (diminished 7th)

2. Respell the C# diminished seventh chord using E as the root. Note that C# is now enharmonically spelled Db. E,G,Bb,Db This chord is now the leading tone chord in the key of F minor.

3. Respell the C# diminished seventh chord using G as the root.G,Bb, Db, Fb .
   This chord is now the leading tone chord in the key of A-flat minor. Notice the enharmonic respelling of C# to Db and E to Fb.

4. Respell the C# diminished seventh chord using Bb as the root. Bb,Db,Fb, Abb . This chord is now the leading tone chord in the key of C-flat minor.
   Notice the enharmonic respelling of G to A double flat.
   Abb = A double-flat

5. Use enharmonic respellings of diminished seventh chords to modulate to distantly related keys.

Tips & Warnings

• double check your accidentals, they can be troublesome!

[athenenoctua]

on 2/26/2009 This is good stuff. Not a lot of people are going to get this, but trust me, it's good stuff. Can you add tabulature or G-clef staff to illustrate your point? It might help some people.