The diminished scale is an expressive musical sound that opens up a variety of chords. Composed from alternate half and whole tones, its sound stands out among other sounds on any scale.
The E diminished scale is often used over dominant seventh chords to add tension and drama, though it also works effectively on triads and tetrads.
Triads
Triads are simple, consonant three-note chords that form the basic harmonic foundation for tonal music. Triads can be formed by taking any one of the scale notes as its root note, then adding two more notes — usually third above (generic third above the root note) and fifth below (generic fifth below root note). Triads may also be found stacked in various configurations — inversions or seventh chords — while their quality depends on key signature and context of use.
Triadic harmony is an easy, fundamental form that provides lots of tonal variation and expressive potential. Newcomers to music often begin their learning experience using triads as part of the first steps towards playing piano or any stringed instrument.
Once you understand how they work, learning to recognize and play major and minor triads becomes relatively straightforward. To do so, focus on the quality of the fifth between root and third; once you can hear a difference between major and minor, distinguishing other parts of the triad should come naturally.
Once you’ve mastered the 16 triads that can be created from an E diminished scale, it is possible to explore various chord types and variations on its theme. To do this, simply consult the chart below and notice how each of the intervals can be altered to create new triads – note that changing any of them requires using flat and sharp accidentals; each column represents their enharmonic equivalents.
As you move down the scale, each triad will possess different qualities. For example, those built on second scale degree will always be minor while those constructed using half-whole diminished scale passing tones have specific harmonic functions; therefore offering much wider possibilities than diatonic major scale triads.
Triad Inversions
The diminished scale is also known as an octatonic scale and contains all eight of the same notes found in a major scale with two extra tones added on top. While initially it can be challenging due to its unique sounds and symmetries, once you learn how to play chords and inversions it opens up an array of symmetrical and synthetic sounds that you won’t find elsewhere.
The diminished scale’s symmetry allows it to produce some interesting chords and inversions, including triads and inversions. Triads feature three notes stacked in thirds or fifths with their lowest note serving as its root note – sometimes directly beneath another note in an inversion; close triads have their roots serving as their bass notes while open ones feature bass notes in upper octaves.
There are various inversions of triads, and these are typically classified by their lowest notes appearing close to root position in close root-position chords. So for instance a C diminished chord would be in its first inversion when in root position and second when in sixth position; similarly these rules apply when considering other chord types like seventh or ninth chords.
Written music often incorporates triads with multiple inversions for progressions or modulations purposes, often indicated with forward slashes followed by the name of their bass note – this notation style is sometimes known as “slash chords.” A C diminished chord in its first inversion with E as bass note would be notated as C/E.
Another way of showing inversion in chords is using superscript numbers found in figured bass notation; for example, a C diminished chord with its 5th in the bass would appear as 6/4 when displayed as written out using this notation system.
Triad Variations
When playing diminished chords it can be helpful to employ triads from different groups of the scale. This gives you more options for arranging your chords and creates some intriguing sounds; for example you could play a Dm7 chord followed immediately by a G7 triad which contains identical notes but produces a distinct sound due to being located one semitone lower – this adds tension and dissonance into your lines while using its familiar diminished sound in familiar contexts.
Michael Brecker often employs this approach when playing jazz music. He possesses an exceptional knowledge of diminished scale theory and how it fits within dominant harmonic world. This can be seen on albums like Giant Steps as well as later quartet recordings where his skill in creating unique musical patterns shines.
Guitarist Yngwe Malmsteen makes excellent use of diminished patterns through his solos. He constantly experiments with applying diminished scale concepts to his solos in creative ways; particularly adept at moving them up and down the octatonic scale and combining them with other chromatic structures such as quartal harmony arpeggios or stacks of 4ths.
As part of his improvisations over chord progressions in major keys such as C – F – G, he explores the sonic possibilities of diminished patterns when improvising over major key chord progressions such as C – F – G. To do this, he creates a new diminished scale one semitone below by adding one note to its base; this allows him to construct chords from this scale that will fit nicely within F and G major triads.
By doing this, he also demonstrated the harmonic similarities between these diminished scales and their respective dominant chords, something which can prove extremely helpful when improvising over dominant chords.
Spend time learning these patterns and experimenting with how you can use them in your music. I would encourage jazz players to gain more insight from learning from musicians such as John Coltrane and Michael Brecker who make extensive use of diminished concepts in their work.
Triad Intervals
Triads are chords formed of three notes–a root note, third, and fifth. Their notation in integer notation is 0, 3, 6. Triads can also be divided into diminished or major triads depending on the intervals between their lower and upper thirds – usually minor for lower third and major for upper third. If a diminished triad contains an eighth note it is known as a ninth-note diminished triad.
Triads come in different forms: major, minor, diminished and augmented. While major and minor triads are consonant while diminished and augmented triads dissonant. Each kind of triad can be built using various scale degrees for construction resulting in unique sounds.
C major triads always contain a perfect fifth between its root and chordal fifth; G major and E minor triads contain either diminished fifths or augmented fifths; these differences can be explained by differences in intervals in scale that impact sounds produced by these triads.
When a triad is not in root position, it is known as an inverted triad and its inversion can be indicated with the use of figured bass notation. For example, an E minor diminished triad in sixth position is known as an E-sharp diminished triad as its figure bass symbol is 6.
This technique of inversion can be especially helpful for chords that tend to move out of root position as the progression continues, as a figured bass symbol allows musicians to preserve its chord structure while maintaining it within its intended key.
The diminished triad is an integral component of any pianist’s repertoire and should be practiced early on during musical education. It offers all the tonal depth of a minor chord while adding an unusual twist that makes playing it both interesting and fun!