April 2010 \ Premier Clinic \ Lethal Guitar \ Detailed Diminished IV

Detailed Diminished IV

Resolving diminished chords or arpeggios to a minor chord in minor keys
Premier Guitar April 2010
More Detailed Diminished
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
So far, we’ve covered some of the basics of the diminished chord and arpeggio construction and resolution. We’ve stressed the importance of resolving the diminished idea (tension and release), as it is considered unstable or dissonant in Western music and requires resolution to stability.

This month, we’ll discuss another common resolution: to the minor chord. We know that a diminished chord or arpeggio naturally resolves up a half step to a major chord because that’s its role in a major key. In a minor key, the diminished chord or arpeggio is the two (ii°) chord, and is a whole step (two frets) above the tonic. Therefore, the natural resolution in a minor key is down a whole step to a minor chord or ii°-i. There are some very common examples of this in all styles of music. This month, I’ll illustrate common approaches to resolving the diminished idea in a minor key and to a minor chord.

Listen - ex1


Listen - ex2


Listen - ex3


Listen - ex4


Listen - ex5


Remember to thoroughly acquaint yourself with the previous lessons on diminished in this series. Using the diminished idea is one of the easiest ways to add color to your playing as well as to get and keep the listeners’ attention. It’s also great for creating seamless lines that are chock-full of melodic and harmonic continuity, and as a bridge from one key to another. Thanks for logging on and tuning in. See you next month here in Lethal Guitar.

     

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Comments

 (14 comments) display by
UsernameComment
edgor67
on 03/28/2010 		I dabbled with going up a half step as well as down a whole step. I like how you used the m7th instead of the standard am. I know your penchant for tonal variety. Also from what I've studied the m7th can iindeed be substituted for the am. Look forward to next months issue. Should be interesting.
edgor67
on 03/26/2010 		Jeff, good stuff. I have the print out and the "Licks" are on my IPOD for posterity. SHRED ON!
Jeff Beasley
on 03/22/2010 		Thank you Diego and thanks for visiting my column!!!
Diego
on 03/21/2010 		thank u for the lesson it is truly great, because you explain the use and function of it.
Jeff Beasley
on 03/20/2010 		Hey Flatyer5s thank you so much, I really appreciate the kind words!!!
Jeff Beasley
on 03/20/2010 		What I was trying to convey in my last comment is that a basic 3-part harmonization of the harmonic minor variant would yield only the diminished triads. I was refering to the ii and vii chords in 3-part harmony in harmonic minor.
flatyer5s
on 03/20/2010 		No problem, man. You provide high quality information here, Jeff, in an age when there's FAR too much poor, shoddy and flat-out misinformation out there. I appreciate your time and efforts to spread the knowledge. It's my passion as well...keep up the great work. :)
Jeff Beasley
on 03/20/2010 		Yes Flatyer5s I realized after I made the 2nd post that I was basically repeating what you had already said! Sorry, I did it this morning when I got out of bed...my brain wasn't fully functional at that point I guess! Anyway I do see your point but I guess the fact that I had mentioned the fully diminished ad nauseam in the previous lessons, I didn't think it necessary to do it again. Either way I appreciate your input. Please feel free to keep me on my toes!
flatyer5s
on 03/20/2010 		Not sure what you mean in your last comment Jeff. I don't see how the dim7 chord (a 4 note chord) harmonized from harmonic minor is "only a diminished triad" (a 3 note chord). Yet your last sentence I completely agree with and was part of my original point- that the 4 note diminished seventh chord and the 3 note diminished triad, although different (yet related) animals, could both be referred to as a "diminished chord" and cause confusion. Better to call one "diminished triad" and the other "diminished seventh". Sorry to be a stickler about this.
flatyer5s
on 03/20/2010 		But still, not to belabor the point but the term "diminished chord", as printed in your column does not fully describe the chord/arpeggio you used in your examples, which are all diminished *seventh* chords. There's a big difference between [B D F] and {B D F Abb/G#] and it should be pointed out so everyone knows the proper name of the note set. Good lesson, don't get me wrong, but the terminology could be more clear.



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