Chapter 3 • New Scales 53

8-Note Diminished scale

Another symmetrical scale, the 8-note Diminished scale has an extra note and a rich quality. It works great when played against a dim7 chord. The 8-note Diminished scale is the scale source for the dim7 chord, and for a VII chord in the Harmonic Minor.

Whereas the Whole Tone scale is tones separated by a whole step, the structure in an 8-note Diminished scale is whole step, half step, whole step, half step, and so on:

Interval 1 2 b3 4 #4 #5 6 7 1

Solfege Do Re Me Fa Fi Si La Ti Do ½ steps 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1

&Do Re Mi So La Do

&Do Re Mi Fi Si Li Do

&Do Re Mi Fi Si Li Do

&Do Me Fa Fi So Te Do

&Do Re Me Fa Fi Si La Ti Do

&Do Di Ri Mi Fi So La Te Do

&Do Di Re Ri Mi Fa Fi So Si La Li Ti Do

&Do Ti Te La Le So Se Fa Mi Me Re Ra Do

w w w w w w

w w w w# w# w# w

wb wb w w w w wb

w wb w w# w wb w

w w wb w w# w# w w w

w w# w# w w# w w wb w

w w# w w# w w w# w w# w w# w w

w w wb w wb w wb w w wb w wb w

82 Chapter 4 • Altered Fifth Chords

If you were wondering why there wasn’t a min6(b5) listed, it’s because it’s really a dim7 chord. It is possible to analyze a diminished 7 chord as a min6(b5), but it’s unsusal, although there are reasonable arguments to be made for doing so, but that’s beyond the scope of this text.

dim7

The dim7 is a naturally occurring chord in a Harmonic minor scale. Its symmetric construction, each note a minor 3rd apart, gives it a texture that doesn’t strongly indicate a tonal center, like a Dominant 7 chord does. It is unique from the other chords we have studied so far in that it contains a double-flatted seventh (a diminished 7th).

Interval 1 b3 b5 bb7

Solfege Do Me Se Ta ½ steps 3 3 3

Ta, the bb7, is enharmonically the same pitch as La.

It doesn’t matter if you invert a dim7, it retains the same shape. For this reason, dim7 chords are named according to their root, and there are no inversions of a dim7 chord. For example, if you move an Ebdim7 chord from the root position to the first inversion, the result is a Gbdim7chord, not a Ebdim7/Gb.

&Do Re Mi Fa Se Si La Te Do

& ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑ ∑

C+7(b5)

&Do Re Mi Fa Se La Ti Do

C6(b5)

&Do Re Me Fa Se La Ta Do

C‡…‹7

w w w w wb w# w wb w wwwwwbbb

wwwwwbbb

w w w w wb w w w wwwwb

w w wb w wb w w∫ w wwww∫bb

Chapter 4 • Altered Fifth Chords 83

The last “inversion” is written enharmonically because Bbbdim7 would have a triple flat.

bb7 bb7 bb7 bb7 Ta Ta Ta Ta

5b 5b 5b 5b Se Se Se Se

b3 b3 b3 b3 Me Me Me Me

1 1 1 1 Do Do Do Do

Root Root Root Root position position position position

A dim7 chord built on Bbb would result in a triple flat (Bbb – Dbb – Fbb – Abbb) so it has to be spelled enharmonically: A – C – Eb – Gb.

Practically speaking, since the diminished 7 chord is made up of equal intervals, there are really only 3 different dim7 chords: C – Eb – Gb– Bbb, C# – E – G – Bb, D – F – Ab – Cb.

This is a good chord to play on the piano in order to fully understand what is going on.

&

C+7(b5) C+7(b5)/E C+7(b5)/G¨ C+7(b5)/G© C+7(b5)/B¨

&

C7(b5) C7(b5)/E C7(b5)/G¨ C7(b5)/G© C7(b5)/B¨

&

C6(b5) C6(b5)/E C6(b5)/G¨ C6(b5)/A

&

C‡…‹7 E¨‡…‹7 G¨‡…‹7 A‡…‹7

wwwwwbbb wwwwwbbb wwwwwbbb wwwwwb#b wwwwwbbb

wwwwwbbb wwwwwbbb wwwwwbbb wwwwwb#b wwwwwbbb

wwwwb wwwwb wwwwb wwwwb

wwww∫bb wwww∫bb∫ wwww∫b∫∫ wwwwbb