Diminished chords and scales may pose some difficulty for improvisers. Yet many great players – such as John Coltrane – have used it as a sound to add harmonic complexity and melodic interest in their solos.
diminished patterns can provide you with endless options compared to diatonic scale triads. Study and implement them correctly over dominant chords for maximum musical benefit.
Triads
Understanding triads from the E diminished scale is essential when working with chords in music. While they’re slightly more complicated than basic diatonic triads, their unique sound makes them great for creating tension and suspense in your compositions.
As part of learning these triads, the first step should be becoming familiar with their scale notes that form this diminished scale. After this step is complete, identify any chord qualities present and use those to identify possible triads to build.
Each triad has its own sound that creates specific emotions and moods; for instance, suspended chords have an open and airy quality while diminished sevenths have a tense and dissonant sound that works great at building tension. Triads like these can also be combined together to form new musical styles or feelings altogether.
There are sixteen triads that can be constructed using the notes of the e diminished scale, and most can be divided into two “families”. Within each family is three similar but distinct triads with similar sounds – C diminished and Gb diminished are especially similar as they share the same root note and consist of multiple minor thirds that create their chord structure.
Start exploring the possibilities of this scale by practicing its triads in one key at first; once you feel comfortable playing them there, transpose them to other keys to broaden your musical palette even further. Keep in mind that muscle memory and coordination take time to develop when working with new chords; go slowly at first before increasing speed over time as your knowledge develops.
As part of your study of these triads, keep in mind that they can be inverted; that is, their order can be altered. To do this, simply move up the lowest note from its original position by an octave and add its second highest note (figure bass notation for 2nd inversion of this chord).
Intervals
The E diminished scale is one of three symmetrical diminished scales that share an identical interval pattern: tone-semitone sequence that repeats over an octave. Other such symmetrical diminished scales include whole tone and chromatic scales – these latter two being considered truly symmetrical because they divide an octave equally using similar intervals.
This scale can be played from various positions on a guitar. Most often it can be found at root, b3 and b5, producing what’s known as an E diminished chord (Edeg).
This scale is often utilized by musicians wishing to produce music that embodies a tonally ambiguous sound, often by switching between major and minor chords or using chords with diminished tonics – examples being found in progressive heavy metal music such as Dream Theater’s Octavarium or Opeth’s Deliverance as examples.
Diminished chords can also be found in jazz music, where they’re frequently employed as tension-relievers. A popular example is the B half-whole diminished scale; when played over G7b9 chords it will produce similar tones to its diminished 7th chord notes.
One of the unique aspects of this scale is its use of four minor scales separated by minor thirds to form its four notes, making it easy to relate it with other diminished chords such as G half-whole diminished scale works nicely over a G minor seventh chord.
The e diminished scale is an invaluable chord to know because it can be applied across many genres of music. For instance, its application can be seen in Noel Gallagher’s song, “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll”, where its chord progression moves from G major to A minor using an e diminished scale as part of its transition process between these notes to add tension and release – something also seen in Stravinsky’s Octet.
Scale Patterns
Diminished scale patterns are one of the primary ways that guitarists utilize diminished sounds in their soloing. Because these symmetrical patterns offer many possibilities that can create melodic tension over dominant chords, diminished scale patterns have quickly become popular in guitarists’ soloing arsenals. Their basic principle involves spacing out each note alternately by half step and whole step distance – giving the impression of chord movement up or down an octave.
Diminished sounds are easy to play and fit seamlessly into any progression, making them a popular choice among musicians looking to add harmonic complexity and melodic interest to their solos. Legends such as John Coltrane and Michael Brecker have used diminished sounds in their music to great effect.
Remembering the principle behind diminished scales – they’re simply dominant scales played an octave higher – is essential when applying them to any dominant chord and tapping into its altered tensions – roots, #9s and #11s.
Most commonly, this technique is utilized on V7 chords as a replacement for b9 in C, enabling players to access all notes more logically while avoiding sounding too mechanical.
Another excellent use for suspended chords is using them over suspended 2nds, whereby the third note of a chord is subtracted and replaced by the 2nd note from the major scale – giving a completely unique sound and offering a great alternative to tonic chords.
The e half-whole diminished scale is another excellent way to use diminished chords in this context, since its four notes contain elements from two different minor scales that are separated by a minor third – for instance C, D and G for instance – making it very simple to combine it with four diminished chords that span that distance – such as Cdeg7, Cbdeg7, Gbdeg7 and Adeg7 chords.
Harmony
The E diminished scale is an 8-note scale constructed with an interleaved pattern of whole steps and half steps that is ideal for harmonizing diminished chords as well as fully diminished seventh chords that appear exclusively in harmonic minor scales.
Harmonies created using this scale can be very striking and provide plenty of tension within our Western tonal harmony system. Jazz musicians frequently employ this scale as they look for new ways to add excitement and flavor into their music.
As with any scale, this one’s notes can be divided into triads for easier grouping and understanding. A major triad is composed of the first, third (major 3rd), and fifth notes; minor triads consist of first, second, and fourth notes in order; diminished triads add in missing seconds as needed – an essential knowledge when playing diminished chords!
Notable characteristics of this scale: it is symmetrical, meaning that four out of its eight notes may serve as tonics – this makes finding suitable triads easier: C diminished, E diminished and G diminished all use the same tonic – B – so they all can start from the same starting point and be constructed.
Due to its inherent symmetry, each of this scale’s eight notes can be moved up or down by one whole step if necessary; to change key, simply move one of its tonic triads up or down by a whole step.
The E Diminished Scale is an invaluable way to play diminished chords and fully-diminished 7th chords, as it can be applied across many dominant chords – making it an extremely useful instrument in jazz as well as progressive metal music such as that performed by Dream Theater and Opeth, who strive for dissonant, tonally ambiguous sounds.