Piano Lessons For Beginners: Diminished scales
A diminished scale is an 8-note [Octatonic] scale that is built by alternating whole and half steps from any root note. We have 2 main variants - the fully diminished and dominant diminished scales. The major characteristics of this scale is that any of the notes you pick as the root will feature the b3 and b5 of it. These scales are also symmetrical.
Let me explain:
CDEbFGbAbAB is the C Fully diminished scale, also known as the C Diminished Whole-Half scale.
If I take C as the start note, I have Eb and Gb as the b3 and b5.
Take D as the start note, I will have F and Ab as the b3 and b5.
Take Eb as the start note, I will have Gb and A [actually Bbb] as the b3 and b5.
So you see that the b3 and b5 are the main characteristics of a diminished scale.
A diminished chord is one that has those 2 notes [b3 and b5] within itself. We also have a fully diminished and a half-diminished chord, the difference being the type of 7th note that they have.
A fully dim chord has a 1+b3+b5+bb7 while a half-dim chord has a 1+b3+b5+b7. We also have a dim major chord, formed by a 1+b3+b5+7.
All these are built upon the diminished triad - 1+b3+b5
Diminish chords like other chords are harmonize from diminish scales. We have two types of diminish scales in music.
a. Diminished Whole-Half scale
This scales moves in whole-step to Half-step.
The movements continues.
Eg C diminish whole-half[WH] scale will have the notes C-D-Eb-F-F#-G#-A-B-C.
And the second type of diminish scale is diminish Half-whole scale.
b. Diminished Half-Whole scale
This is just like the WH scale but it moves from Half-step to whole-step.
Eg C diminish Half-Whole[HW] scale will have the notes C-Db-Eb-E-F#-G-A-Bb-C
I won't go into Harmonizing diminish scales for now. I will leave that for some other time.
Know that diminish chords also has extensions just like the major and minor chords.
A diminish triad has the formula 1-b3-b5.
Eg Fdim triad will be F-Ab-Cb.
Cdim triad will be C-Eb-Gb.
A diminish 7 tetrad[Tetrads are chords made up of four notes] has the intervallic formula 1-b3-b5-bb7.
A simple cheat to get this easily is to reduce the notes of a dominant 7 chord except the root a Half-step.
Eg a dominant 7 has the formula 1-3-5-b7
Reducing each notes a half step except the root we'll get 1-b3-b5-bb7.
I guess this makes it better.
Okay.
Cdim7 will be C-Eb-Gb-Bbb
Fdim7 will be F-Ab-Cb-Ebb
Diminish 9 pentad has the formula 1-b3-b5-bb7-b9.
Same cheat applies. Reduce dominant 9 chord a half step without the root.
Examples.
Cdim9 will be C-Eb-Gb-Bbb-Db
Fdim9 will be F-Ab-Cb-Ebb-Gb
Diminish 11 chord will have the formula 1-b3-b5-bb7-b9-b11[Reducing dominant 11 chord a half step without the root]…
The b11 is enharmonically a 3.
Therefore it does not exist in musical practice.
The b11 and #13 tension notes does not exist in music.
Bear this in mind 👆
Since a diminish 11 chord does not exist it therefore means diminish 13 chord too will not exist since dim11 gives rise to dim13.
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-The ChordProgression Guy