Jul 28, 2023

Create Drama and Suspense with these Amazing Chords! 5 Ways to use Diminished Chords

Some people are afraid of these chords because they sound so wild...

Create Drama and Suspense with these amazing chords! 5 Ways to use Diminished Chords

Don't be scared - they are the easiest to use and most fun chords! I show you 5 ways to use them here...

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Find all my chord related posts here: Chord Tips and Tricks

If you're not using these fairly often it may be because you need to get to know them better (to know them is to love them). 

Today we meet - get to know and learn to appreciate - the AWESOME diminished chord...

Diminished chords make  their appearance in all styles of music, classical, pop, heavy metal etc...

WATCH (learn 5 ways to use DIMINISHED chords):


Do me a favor and 'like' the video on YouTube and post a comment (on YouTube) to let me know what you think - thanks!

NOTES:

In the video you learn 5 ways to use the diminished chord. Anyone - even a beginner - will be able to write beautiful chord progressions with these right away, or use them as a substitute...

When diminished chords are used as passing chords and in chord substitution diminished 7 chords are used - NOT diminished triads. Diminished 7 chords may simply be called diminished chords or fully diminished chords.

Diminished triads are rarely used...  And should not be used for the examples in the video or the examples I explain here.

INTERESTING NOTE: Take the diminished chord form and lower any one note by 1/2 step and you will notice you have a dominant chord form! 

Using secondary diminished chords will sound similar to secondary dominants as a result. 

EX: Secondary dominant for Am would be 1202 (E7) and the secondary diminished would be G#dim 1212 - Notice only one note is different.

Any secondary diminished chord could be a secondary dominant if you lower one note by 1/2 step  - check it out and experiment with a few.

The secondary diminished will give you a more dramatic or intense sound than the secondary dominant. If you want something wilder than the secondary dominant - this is it...

Like the secondary dominants - these create tension and resole, EX: G#dim (tension) - Am (resolution).

The G# diminished in the last example is the same chord as the B diminished which we learn in the video can sub for the V chord (the G). 

HOMEWORK: Try this with other chord progressions (learn how to create chord progressions in any key) - you'll find diminished chords in my chord book (it's FREE) but you should try and find them yourself as I indicate in the video.

Here's the uke I use in the video (to play the examples): Kala KA-EBY-TE Ebony Tenor Acoustic-Electric Ukulele. Love that uke - use it for performances. The Audio is recorded with this: Tascam DR-40X Four Track Handheld Recorder and USB Interface - it's a 4 track recorder so it'll come in handy for some great sounding home recording - or for you to record you next album!

Grab the FULL COLOR PDF of all the slides in the video here (Patreon members).

I talk about secondary dominants in the video - here's more information and a complete lesson on them... - Secondary dominants are used in the same way that secondary diminished chords are..

Learn more about how to simplify chords here with my book "Ukulele Chord Tricks: Simplify Any Chord"

To learn how to create beautiful chord progressions in any key - get my "Secrets of the Chord Chain" books.

FREE PDF's - Chord book and all scales harmonized with chords (with related articles):

Create Drama and Suspense with these amazing chords! 5 Ways to use Diminished Chords

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