Diminished guitar chords diminished triads, halfdiminished. Oh, b half diminished is just the locrian mode 7th mode of c major. Start by visualizing and ingraining the minor third relationship of the diminished chord tones in every key there are only 3. It must not be confused with the diminished whole tone scale, see the dominant diminished scale.
Its known as a whole half when played over diminished 7th chords. In these diminished scale diagrams, any of the white circles can be considered to be the root tonic note of the scale. The pdf contains both scale and the melody which uses. Whole stephalf step diminished scales are the same configuration of notes except that you start the scale with a whole step rather than a half step.
Because of its interval construction, this scale is also referred to as the half whole diminished scale. If that sounds like you, thats why you suck at halfdiminished chords. The pdf contains both scale and the melody which uses the half diminished 7th chord and the 9 and as embellishment. Whole step half step diminished scales jeff lewis trumpet. Half diminished scale in e is a minor scale with a flat fifth interval. The diminished scale is also referred to as the whole half diminished scale due to the fact it is constructed by every second whole and half steps notice also that it is a symmetrical scale. We can call this the ts tonesemitone or wh wholehalf diminished scale. The dominant diminished scale consists of eight notes, and therefore belongs to the category of octatonic scales. This is really advantageous, because it opens a whole range of possibilities. The halfwhole diminished scale is an 8 note symmetrical scale. Maybe its just a convention to define the scales for these chords as halfwholewhole and wholehalf repeating patterns.
The solution below shows the d half diminished 7th chord in root position, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd inversions, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. The dominant diminished scale is a symmetrical scale. The video is a bit pianofocussed so i thought it might help some guitar players to have. Diminished chords often confuse guitar players, as actually there exist 3 types of those chords. This ebook pdf with audio files contains 25 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns using the halfwhole diminished scale and diminished. C db eb f gb ab bb on the half and c d eb f gb ab a b for the full. Because of that it is also commonly referred to as the whole half diminished scale. Aug 30, 2017 a diminished seventh chord is a diminished triad which has a root, a minor third, and a diminished fifth with a diminished seventh interval added above the root. Basically im taking notes from the ab whole half diminished scale using the 3 concept. In his influential jazz theory book lydian chromatic concept of tonal organization, george russell refers to this scale as the auxiliary diminished scale, although many people refer to it simply as the wholehalf diminished scale. The only difference between these two is that the 7th note from the harmonic minor is raised a half step semitone making an augmented second a whole and a half step wh between the 6th and 7th note.
If i improvise using the major, minor, harmonic minor or melodic minor scale, it sounds o. A whole stephalf step diminished scale applies to diminished chords. Half whole diminished scales pdf the half whole diminished scale is an 8 note symmetrical scale. Its played over altered dominant chords and has tensions. Scales and chords used less often are the halfdiminished, diminished and suspended 4. The scale alternates half and whole steps until the scale starts again. Barry harriss sixth diminished scale cochrane music. The hw diminished scale andor associated chord can be substituted in place of a v7 chord. Taken from the 25 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns pdf method. Youll also learn how to use them in your own songs. Barry harriss sixth diminished scale heres a great excerpt from a barry harris workshop where he introduces an interesting diminished concept, which he jokingly calls his personal scale. Half diminished scale in all keys the key to playin in key.
Because of that it is also commonly referred to as the wholehalf diminished scale. To help you visualize how the diminished scale is constructed, here is a chart that lays out the interval. Diminished scale it is made only by a sequence of half step semitone and whole step tone. Diminished scales as recorded by derryl gabel transcribed by derryl gabel music by derryl gabel performance notes example 1 is a c whole half diminished scale played 3 notes per string. If you take the ab whole half diminished scale and compare it to this chord you are getting the. The notes of the harmonic minor scale are almost the same as the notes from the natural minor scale. The scales and patterns shown in this lesson are based on the half whole versions of the diminished scales.
Because of the symmetry of the diminished scale there are only 2 different patterns. Secrets of the diminished scale learn jazz standards. In the case of this scale, a 12 step interval followed by a whole step interval. Diminished scales on guitar halfwhole and wholehalf. This tutorial will show you how to build and to play diminished triads, halfdiminished and diminished 7th chords on guitar. A halfdiminished seventh chord is a diminished triad with a minor seventh added to the chord and can be. The diminished scale is a type of 8note symmetrical scale. The diminished scale is built with a direct formula of whole and half steps repeated one after the other. Feb 19, 2016 5 dominant diminished jazz guitar patterns licks wtabs. The diminished pattern uses a lot of the minor intervals.
Heres a simple melody that outlines the 4 distinct half diminished modes or scales. The tetrachord construction for a wholehalf diminished scale is a. The scales and patterns shown in this lesson are based on the halfwhole versions. How to improvise on half diminished chords using triad. Diminished scale is a symmetric scale created by the sequence. The diminished scale can be created by stacking two diminished 7th chords a halfstep apart on top of one another. It produces a very cool jazz sound by a quite unexpected means. The solution below shows the d halfdiminished 7th chord in root position, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd inversions, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. The chord most closely associated with this scale is em7b5.
Also, we can simplify and summarize all 12 diminished scales to just 3 scale types. The diminished scale is also referred to as the wholehalf diminished scale due to the fact it is constructed by every second whole and half steps notice also that it is a symmetrical scale. The diminished scale is one of the defining sounds of jazz. Diminished scale theory music theory online with willie. A diminished scale, b diminished scale and c diminished scale a diminished scale type b diminished. How to improvise on half diminished chords using triad pairs.
Diminished scale guide for guitar jamie holroyd guitar. It is a symmetrical scale in that it follows a distinct pattern of steps, those being whole step, half step in a repeating pattern, not to be confused with the dominant diminished scale which follows a half step, whole step pattern. Perhaps the b9 is easier to mentally commute as it is juts up one semitone. In the same way that we studied in the diminished chord, diminished scale repeats itself each one and a half tone. Then pick one of the 10 diminished patterns and take it into the practice room for a week. The diminished scale is different from the dominant diminished scale, which alternates half and whole steps and is used to solo over dominant 7b9 chords when first exploring diminished scales on guitar, it is easy to confuse these two scales. Locrian scale drill iivi half diminished chords locrian scale k.
Diminished scale now that youve gotten familiar with the sound of the diminished triads, its time to move on. The half stepwhole step diminished scale the halfwhole diminished scale is what we call a symmetrical scale, meaning it is based on a repeating pattern of specific intervals. The half stepwhole step diminished scale chris juergensen. I suggest to use it just on the dominant 7th and diminished 7th chord in a jazz context. The minor 7th is again decreased by a semitone and hence is equivalent to a sixth 6 only the theoretical approach is different.
It is the sixth mode of the ascending form of the melodic minor scale or jazz scale. Apr 08, 2016 10 diminished patterns and a lifetime of work. Diminished scale theory music theory online with willie myette. Dominant diminished scales diminished blues overview. For example, in the key of c these guide tones are. The halfdiminished the halfdiminished chord a minor seventh chord with a flattened fifth occurs as a fournote chord on the seventh degree of the major scale, on the second degree of the harmonic minor scale and on the sixth and seventh degree of the ascending form of the melodic minor scale. The fully diminished seventh can be indicated as dim7 or with the symbol. If you start with a wholestep, the pattern is whwhwhwh. It can be represented by the integer notation 0, 3, 6, 10 in diatonic harmony, the halfdiminished seventh chord occurs naturally on the seventh scale degree of any major scale for example, b o 7 in c major and is thus a leadingtone seventh chord in the major mode. The halfwhole diminished is played over a dominant chord.
While, the wholehalf diminished scale is used over a diminished chord. As a rule of thumb many people think of the scale as starting on the b9 of the chord, but of course it could just as easily be the 3rd, 5th or 7th. The half diminished the half diminished chord a minor seventh chord with a flattened fifth occurs as a fournote chord on the seventh degree of the major scale, on the second degree of the harmonic minor scale and on the sixth and seventh degree of the ascending form of the melodic minor scale. It is a symmetrical scale in that it follows a distinct pattern, constructed from a repeated sequence of intervals major second, minor second. Maybe its just a convention to define the scales for these chords as half wholewhole and whole half repeating patterns. But rememberyou dont have to do everything at once. Four of the starting notes will give you a half whole diminished scale corresponding to a 7b9 chord. The half diminished scale is a sevennote musical scale. The 6th mode of the melodic minor scale locrian natural 9 which has a. It is used over v7 and diminished chords respectively. The guide tones for a diminished seventh chord are root, b3, b5 and bb7. The other four starting notes will give you a wholehalf diminished scale corresponding to a diminished 7th chord. Because of its interval construction, this scale is also referred to as the halfwhole diminished scale. The wholehalf diminished is played over a diminished chord.
The formula is half tone, whole tone throughout the scale, hence the reason it is. Heres a great excerpt from a barry harris workshop where he introduces an interesting diminished concept, which he jokingly calls his personal scale. Why the extra note on the full diminished scale, why the db for the half diminished instead of d natural, and why ab for either one of them. The diminished scale is used to solo over diminished 7 dim7 chords. Similarly, the chord also occurs on the second degree of any natural minor scale e. The solution below shows the g halfdiminished 7th chord in root position, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd inversions, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef. This means that the scales are constructed using a repeated pattern of half and. The other four starting notes will give you a whole half diminished scale corresponding to a diminished 7th chord. Printable pdf ebook method containing 40 major jazz guitar licks with. In this tutorial, i explain and demonstrate how to use triad pairs to improvise and shred over half diminished chords. The d halfstepwholestep diminished scale would be used with d7alt, f7alt, ab7alt and b7alt chords. If you want to download a free ebook of 15 ii valt i licks then subscribe to my newsletter. The diminished scale, also known as the whole half scale, is an eight note scale with a numeric formula of 12. Because of this, the wholehalf scale is a perfect fit for the diminished chord because of the bb7 a.
This means that the scales are constructed using a repeated pattern of half and whole steps. Greatthat means whenever i see a halfdiminished chord ill simply go up a halfstep and play the major scale. Sep 25, 2016 in this tutorial, i explain and demonstrate how to use triad pairs to improvise and shred over half diminished chords. The half whole diminished scale is an 8 note symmetrical scale. It is also a socalled symmetrical scale since the intervals are consistent. I remember the end of my freshman year at indiana university, hanging out with some of my friends and watching videos on youtube about the diminished scale. This will be covered in more detail in the pdf handouts later in this article. Half whole diminished scales pdf the halfwhole diminished scale is an 8 note symmetrical scale.
Four of the starting notes will give you a halfwhole diminished scale corresponding to a 7b9 chord. The lesson steps then explain how to construct this 7th chord using the 3rd, 5th and 7th note intervals, then finally how to construct the inverted chord variations. This means that for example an a diminished scale contains the same notes as a c diminished scale, an e flat diminished scale, and a g flat diminished scale. For some reason, the diminished scale sparked an interest in me. Half stepwhole step diminished scales jeff lewis trumpet. Why you still suck at half diminished chords jazzadvice. Why the extra note on the full diminished scale, why the db for the halfdiminished instead of d natural, and why ab for either one of them. This tutorial will show you how to build and to play diminished triads, half diminished and diminished 7th chords on guitar. There are 9 notes that make up a diminished scale instead of eight. The diminished scale has a few different names, including the octatonic scale and the halfwhole scale, but theyre all the same scale. The solution below shows the g half diminished 7th chord in root position, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd inversions, on the piano, treble clef and bass clef.
The diminished pattern diminishes the 3rd, 5th, 6th, m7 and 8. Aug 15, 2001 we can call this the ts tonesemitone or wh wholehalf diminished scale. If we agree on these five chord scale families as being the most. The diminished scale is an eightnote scale that is built by picking a tonic note, and then alternating whole steps and half steps from that starting note.