Diminished chord

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Diminished chord

A diminished triad chord is a triad

Triad (music)

In music and music theory, a triad is a three-note chord that can be stacked in thirds. Its members, when actually stacked in thirds, from lowest pitched tone to highest, are called:...
consisting of a minor third

Minor third

A minor third is a Interval of three semitones. It is the smaller of two commonly occurring musical intervals compounded of two steps of the diatonic scale....
and a diminished fifth above the root — if built on C, a diminished chord would have a C, an E and a G. It resembles a minor triad

Minor chord

In music theory, a minor chord is a chord having a Root , a minor third, and a perfect fifth.When a chord has these three notes alone, it is called a minor Triad ....
with a lowered(flatted) fifth.

In the common practice period

Common practice period

The common practice period, in the history of European art music , spanning the Baroque Music, Classical music era, and Romantic Music periods, lasted from about 1600 until about 1900....
, the diminished chord is considered dissonant

Consonance and dissonance

In music, a consonance is a harmony, Chord , or interval considered stable, as opposed to a dissonance ? considered unstable . The strictest definition of consonance may be only those sounds which are pleasant, while the most general definition includes any sounds which are used freely....
, or unstable. It lacks tonal

Tonality

Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchy pitch relationships are based on a Key "center" or Tonic . The term tonalit? originated with Alexandre-?tienne Choron and was borrowed by Fran?ois-Joseph F?tis in 1840 ....
center or drive because the diminished fifth symmetrically

Symmetry

Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically-pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection....
divides the octave

Octave

In music, an octave The octave is occasionally referred to as a diapason.The octave above an indicated note is sometimes abbreviated 8va, and the octave below 8vb....
.

A diminished chord occurs in a major scale

Major scale

In music theory, the major scale or Ionian mode scale is one of the diatonic scale Musical scales. It is made up of seven distinct notes, plus an eighth which duplicates the first an octave higher....
only on the seventh scale degree; in the key of C, this is a B diminished chord (B, D, F).

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Encyclopedia

A diminished triad chord is a triad

Triad (music)

Minor third

Minor chord

Common practice period

Consonance and dissonance

Tonality

Symmetry

Octave

Major scale

Seventh chord

A seventh chord is a chord consisting of a triad plus a note forming an interval of a seventh above the chord's root . When not otherwise specified, a "seventh chord" usually means a major triad with a flat seventh ....
built on the fifth note; in C, this is G dominant seventh

Dominant seventh chord

Of all the seventh chords, perhaps the most important to understand is the 'dominant seventh' , a Major chord with a minor seventh. It was the first seventh chord to appear regularly in Western music....
(G, B, D, F).

In a twelve-tone equal tempered tuning, a diminished chord has 3 semitone

Semitone

A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone,Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, and others use "half tone".One source says that step is "chiefly US", and that half-tone is "chiefly N....
s between the third and fifth, 3 between the root and third, and 6 between the root and fifth. It is represented by the integer notation 0, 3, 6.

In most sheet music books, Cdim or C° denotes a diminished seventh chord

Diminished seventh chord

A diminished seventh chord is a four note chord comprising a diminished chord plus the interval of a diminished seventh above the root . Thus it is , or enharmonically , of any major scale; for example, C diminished-seventh would be , or enharmonically ....
(a four note chord) with root C, and Cm-5 or Cmb5 denotes a diminished triad with root C. Howevever, in some modern jazz books and some music theory literature, Cdim or C° denotes a diminished triad, while Cdim7 or C°7 denotes a diminished seventh chord.

See also half-diminished seventh chord

Half-diminished seventh chord

In music theory, the half-diminished seventh chord is created by taking the Root , minor third, diminished fifth and minor seventh of any major scale; for example, C half-diminished would be ....
.