h3 wk10 part 1

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Harmony 3Diminished 7th Chords.

• Diminished chord patterns.

Harmony 3 text pp.38-42

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A diminished 7th chord is a succession

of minor thirds.

3

m3

m3

m3

A diminished seventh chord contains 3 minor thirds.

4

There are 3 diminished 7th

chords.

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The first diminished seventh chord starts here and ascends through 3

minor third intervals.

m3

m3

m3

6

The first diminished seventh chord starts here and ascends through 3

minor third intervals.

m3

m3

m3

The fourth minor third interval brings us back to where we started.

m3

7

The next possible diminished seventh chord starts here and ascends through

3 minor third intervals.

m3

m3

m3

The fourth minor third interval brings us back to where we started

8

The final diminished seventh chord starts here and ascends through 3

minor third intervals.

m3

m3

m3

The fourth minor third interval will bring us back to where we started

9

If we were to build a fourth diminished seventh chord starting here we would

arrive at the same set of chord tones as in the first diminished seventh chord.

m3

m3

m3

10

These are the three possible diminished seventh chords.

Every other diminished seventh chord is an inversion of one of the above.

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Diminished 7th chords are unstable.They each contain 2 tritones.

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tritonetritone

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tritone – 6 frets

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tritone – 6 fretstritone – 6 frets

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Diminished 7th chords in major keys are

most often found as linking chords

between neighbouring diatonic

chords, or as approach chords to

diatonic chords.

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We shall begin by examining

the most common

patterns for diminished

seventh chords.

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Look at and listen to example 1 on p.38 of

your H3 text.

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Open your Real Book and check out

Desafinado on p.65.

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Look at and listen to example 2 on p.38 of

your H3 text.

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Open your Real Book and check out I Love

Lucy on p.142.

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Look at and listen to example 3 on p.38

of your H3 text.

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Look at and listen to example 1 on p.39

of your H3 text.

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Open your Real Book and check out

All Of Me on p.3.

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Look at and listen to example 2 on p.39

of your H3 text.

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Open your Real Book and check out Here’s That Rainy

Day on p.138.

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Open your Real Book and check out Everything Happens

To Me on p.91.

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Look at and listen to example 3 on p.39

of your H3 text.

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Io7 as an auxiliary diminished.

Look at and listen to example 4 on p.39

of your H3 text.

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Vo7 as an auxiliary diminished.

Look at and listen to example 1 on p.40

of your H3 text.

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• The diminished seventh chords that we have looked at/listened to are the “common” diminished sevenths.

• The unusual diminished seventh chords are left for you (the enterprising student) to find.

• The following listening examples contain some of the unusual diminished seventh chords.

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Check out the summary at the bottom of p.40 in

your H3 text.

50Ascending diminished seventh chords

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The ascending diminished seventh chords are derived from the secondary dominants of their target chords and have smooth voice leading characteristics.

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V7(b9)/II is targeting IIm7.

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Spell V7(b9)/II.

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The upper structure is C#o7.

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The upper structure is C#o7.

V7(b9)/II

#Io7

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The same procedure can be applied to all the

ascending diminished seventh

chords.

You should study examples 1 and 2

on p.41 and examples 1 and 2 on p.42 of your H3

text.