Resolving diminished chords or arpeggios to a minor chord in minor keys
More Detailed Diminished Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI |
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.