How to Use or Replace(half)Diminished Chords.

guitarjack66 · December 2022

I have heard that slash chords often replace diminished chords in popular music? If so how do you decide which slash chord to use? For example say,in the key of C B diminished is the 7th chord before returning the half step interval back to the Octave,if playing in order. What would we use if we replaced B dim,would it be a form of B or something else altogether?

viz · December 2022

In a major key, in 99.999% of cases, the chord built off the 7th degree of the scale (eg in C major, the b(dim) chord) is actually a V chord (a G or G7) in 1st inversion. This b(dim) behaves exactly as a G7 chord and resolves up to the C, as normal. It just doesn’t have the G at the bottom.

G7 is G B D F;

b(dim) is B D F.

So instead of writing b(dim), you could write G7/B.

bluechargeboy · December 2022

I think maybe you mean the 5th chord (G), with the major seventh of C major (B) as the slash. So C would take G/B, G would take D/F#, etc. Not sure if this is what you're driving at but it resolves nicely. To my ears ears it sound a bit more "modern" than the diminished.

Edit: Beaten to it but at least we said basically the same thing

viz · December 2022

bluechargeboy said:

Edit: Beaten to it but at least we said basically the same thing

Great minds

guitarjack66 · December 2022

Thanks people. Very nice explanations.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

How to Use or Replace(half)Diminished Chords.

Comments