Diminished seventh chord

A diminished seventh chord is a four note chord that comprises a diminished

triad plus the interval of a diminished seventh(alternatively regarded enharmonically as a
major sixth) above the root. Thus it is (1, 3, 5, 7), or enharmonically (1, 3, 5, 6), of
anyminor scale; for example, C diminished-seventh would be (C, E, G, B ), or
enharmonically (C, E, G, A). It occurs as a leading-tone seventh chord in harmonic
minor and can be represented by the integer notation {0, 3, 6, 9}.
Because of this it can also be viewed as four notes all stacked in intervals of a minor
third. The diminished seventh contains two diminished fifths, which often resolve inwards.[3]
In most sheet music books, Cdim or C denotes a diminished seventh chord with root
C; but it may also happen, mostly in modern jazz books and some music theory literature,
that Cdim or C or Cm(5) denotes a diminished triad, while Cdim7 or C7 or Cm6(5)
denotes a diminished seventh chord.

Uses

Diminished seventh chord resolution: both diminished fifths tend to resolve inward,
doubling the third of the tonic chord. The most common form of the diminished seventh
chord is that rooted on the leading tone; for example, in the key of C, the chord (B, D, F,
A). So its other constituents are the second, fourth, and flatted sixth (flat
submediant) scale degrees. These notes occur naturally in the harmonic minor scale. But
this chord also appears in major keys, especially after the time of Bach, where it is
"borrowed" from the parallel minor. Ftis tuned the chord 10:12:14:17.
Seventh chords may also be rooted on other scale degrees, either as secondary
function chords temporarily borrowed from other keys, or asappoggiatura chords: a chord
rooted on the raised second scale degree (D-F-A-C in the key of C) acts as an
appoggiatura to the tonic (C major) chord, and one rooted on the raised sixth scale degree
(A-C-E-G in C major) acts as an appoggiatura to the dominant (G major) chord. Because

these chords have no leading tone in relation to the chords to which they resolve, they can
not properly have "dominant" function. They are therefore referred to commonly as "nondominant" diminished seventh chords or "common tone" diminished seventh chords. (See
"common tone diminished seventh chord" below)
In jazz, the diminished seventh chord is often based on the lowered third scale
degree (the flat mediant) and acts as a passing chordbetween the mediant triad (or firstinversion tonic triad) and the supertonic triad: in C major, this would be the chord
progression E minor - E diminished - D minor. The chord, "plays no role
in...jazz."[5] The passing chord is used widely in Brazilian music like Choro, Samba, and
Bossa Nova
The diminished seventh chord normally possesses a "dominant" function, and this is
most straightforwardly shown when the root of adominant seventh chord is omitted. The
remaining third, fifth and seventh of that chord form a diminished triad (whose new root is the
third of the former chord), to which a diminished seventh can be added. Thus in C (major or
minor), a dominant seventh chord consisting of G, B, D, F can be replaced by a diminished
seventh chord B, D, F, A. (In jazz harmony, a combination of the original chord with its
substitute (with G in the bass and A simultaneously in an upper voice) yields the very
common "79" chord, which intensifies the dominant function of either a diminished seventh
or dominant seventh chord.) Other transformations of this kind facilitate a variety of
substitutions and modulations: any of the four notes in a diminished seventh chord are
raised by a semi-tone, that raised note is then the flat-seventh of a half-diminished seventh
chord. Similarly, if any of the four notes in the diminished seventh chord are lowered by a
semi-tone, that lowered note is then the root of a dominant seventh chord.
The diminished seventh chord comprises frequencies that are equally spaced when
considered on a logarithmic axis, and thus divides the octave into four logarithmically equal
portions, each being a minor third.

Two diminished seventh chords in the octatonic scale (one red, one blue) may be
rearranged into the alpha chord

The diminished scale may be conceived of as two interlocking diminished seventh

chords, which may be rearranged into the alpha chord.

Supertonic diminished seventh chord

Supertonic diminished seventh chord in C

One variant of the supertonic seventh chord is the supertonic diminished seventh[6] with the
raised supertonic, which equals the lowered third through enharmonic equivalence (in C:
D=E). It may be used as a dominant substitute.[7]

IIo7 as dominant substitute with III7substituted for the tonic (I) chord (D-E)
Common-tone diminished seventh chord

Common-tone diminished seventh chord

A diminished seventh chord may alternatively resolve to a major or major-minor
seventh chord whose root is one of the notes of the diminished seventh chord, the most
common being the raised supertonic seventh, which resolves to the tonic in major keys and
the raised submediant, which resolves to dominant triad or seventh in major keys, with the
altered tones resolving upward by half step.[8]

Diminished seventh chord to dominant cadence (bo-e7-A7-D)

The diminished chord may also resolve through lowering two of the bottom three
voices producing a supertonic seventh chord that may lead to a conventional dominant
cadence.[9]
Diminished seventh root

In Rameau's supposition the root of the dominant chord on B, left, is substituted

producing a diminished seventh chord on C, right.
Music theorists have struggled over the centuries to explain the meaning and function of
diminished seventh chords. Currently, two approaches are generally used. The less complex
method treats the leading tone as the root of the chord, and the other chord members as the
third, fifth, and seventh of the chord, the same way other seventh chords are analyzed.

Diminished seventh chord incomplete ninth in C Minor ).

The other method is to analyze the chord as an "incomplete dominant ninth", that is
a ninth chord with its root on the dominant, whose root is missing or implied. A vii7 chord in
the minor key (for example, in C minor, B, D, F, A) occurs naturally in the harmonic minor
scale and is equivalent to the dominant 7(9) chord (G, B, D, F, A) without its root. This
was already proposed by Arnold Schoenberg,[10]and Walter Piston has long been the
champion of this analysis.[11] Jazz guitarist Sal Salvador, and other jazz theorists, also
advocated this view, rewriting chord charts to reflect this and supplying the "missing" root as
part of their bass lines.[12]

The dominant ninth theory has been questioned by Heinrich Schenker. He explained
that although there is a kinship between all univalent chords rising out of the fifth degree, the
dominant ninth chord is not a real chord formation.
Rameau explained the diminished seventh chord as a dominant seventh chord
whose supposed fundamental bass is borrowed from the sixth degree in minor, raised a
semitone producing a stack of minor thirds.[14] Thus in C the dominant seventh is G7 (G-BD-F) and the sixth degree borrowed from minor produces A-B-D-F.[14] He observed in
his Treatise on Harmony that three minor thirds and an augmented second make up a chord
where the augmented second is such that "the ear is not offended" by it. He may have been
talking of the augmented second in quarter-comma meantone, a tuning he favored, which is
close to the just septimal minor third of 7/6.

Inversions
The fundamental tone or root of any diminished seventh chord, being composed of three
stacked minor thirds, is ambiguous. For example, Cdim7 in root position: C + E + G + B
(each has one and half interval), is just as easily viewed as an Edim7 in its third
inversion:
D (enharmonic equivalent of C) + E + G + B .
It can also be viewed as a Gdim7 in its second inversion:
D + F (enharmonic equivalent of E) + G + B .
Delineating this chord in its last possibility, that of B dim7 in its first inversion, is very clumsy
and not very useful as it requires the use a triple-flatted note, something that is hardly ever
used in a musical score:
D +F +A

(enharmonic equivalent of G) + B .

However, by enharmonically respelling the B to A, this can also be viewed as a first

inversion Adim7 chord:
C + E + G + A (enharmonic equivalent of B ).
Other possibilities present themselves by respelling the various roots; for instance:
C + E + F (enharmonic equivalent of G) + A (enharmonic equivalent of B ) (second
inversion Fdim7).

C + D (enharmonic equivalent of E) + F (enharmonic equivalent of G) + A

(enharmonic equivalent of B ) (third inversion Ddim7).
B (enharmonic equivalent of C) + D (enharmonic equivalent of E) + F (enharmonic
equivalent of G) + A (enharmonic equivalent of B ) (root position Bdim7).
All of the chord's inversions have the same sound harmonically. Because of the chord's
symmetrical nature (superimposing more minor thirds on top of the dim 7 produces no new
notes), there are only three different diminished seventh chords possible.
The diminished seventh chord can appear in first, second, or (least common) third inversion.
Each inversion is enharmonic with another diminished seventh chord, and 19th-century
composers in particular often make use of this enharmonic to use these chords
for modulations. Percy Goetschius calls it the "enharmonic chord.

Diminished seventh chord on C, written four different ways enharmonically (all sounding the
same).

Diminished seventh chord's use inmodulation.

Using Piston's incomplete-ninth analysis, a single diminished seventh chord, without
enharmonic change, is capable of the following analyses: V, V of ii, V of III (in min.), V of iii
(in maj.), V of iv, V of V, V of VI (in min.), V of vi (in maj.), V of VII (in min.). Since the chord
may be enharmonically written in four different ways without changing the sound, we may
multiply the above by four, making a total of forty-eight possible interpretations.[17] More
conservatively, each assumed root may be used as a dominant, tonic, or supertonic, giving
twelve possibilities.

Diminished seventh chord table

Chord

Root

Minor

Diminished

Diminished

Third

Fifth

Seventh

Cdim7

B (A)

Cdim7

Ddim7

C (B)

Ddim7

Edim7

Fdim7

C (B)

E (D)

Fdim7

Gdim7

F (E)

Gdim7

Adim7

Adim7

Bdim7