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In music theory
Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
, a diminished seventh is an interval
Interval (music)

In music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitch of two notes.Intervals may be described as:*vertical if the two notes sound simultaneously...
 encompassing nine 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. It spans seven scale degrees and contains nine half steps, being one 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....
 smaller than a minor seventh
Minor seventh

A minor seventh is the smaller of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span seven diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'minor' identifies it as being the smaller of the two , its larger counterpart being a major seventh....
 and enharmonic
Enharmonic

In modern music and musical notation, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalence to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently....
ally equivalent to a major sixth
Major sixth

A major sixth is the larger of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span six diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'major' identifies it as being the larger of the two ; its smaller counterpart being a minor sixth....
. Its inversion
Inversion (music)

In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices....
 is the augmented second
Augmented second

An augmented second is enharmonically equivalent to a minor third in equal temperament, but is not the same interval in other meantone tunings....
.

The diminished seventh is used quite readily in the minor key, where it is present in the harmonic minor scale between the seventh scale step and the sixth scale step in 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....
 above.

In an equal tempered
Equal temperament

Equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of Musical tuning in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratios....
 tuning, a diminished seventh is equal to nine semitones, a ratio of 1:29/12 (approximately 1.682), or 900 cents.






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In music theory
Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
, a diminished seventh is an interval
Interval (music)

In music theory, the term interval describes the relationship between the pitch of two notes.Intervals may be described as:*vertical if the two notes sound simultaneously...
 encompassing nine 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. It spans seven scale degrees and contains nine half steps, being one 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....
 smaller than a minor seventh
Minor seventh

A minor seventh is the smaller of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span seven diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'minor' identifies it as being the smaller of the two , its larger counterpart being a major seventh....
 and enharmonic
Enharmonic

In modern music and musical notation, an enharmonic equivalent is a note , interval , or key signature which is equivalence to some other note, interval, or key signature, but "spelled", or named, differently....
ally equivalent to a major sixth
Major sixth

A major sixth is the larger of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span six diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'major' identifies it as being the larger of the two ; its smaller counterpart being a minor sixth....
. Its inversion
Inversion (music)

In music theory, the word inversion has several meanings. There are inverted chords, inverted melodies, inverted intervals, and inverted voices....
 is the augmented second
Augmented second

An augmented second is enharmonically equivalent to a minor third in equal temperament, but is not the same interval in other meantone tunings....
.

The diminished seventh is used quite readily in the minor key, where it is present in the harmonic minor scale between the seventh scale step and the sixth scale step in 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....
 above.

In an equal tempered
Equal temperament

Equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of Musical tuning in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratios....
 tuning, a diminished seventh is equal to nine semitones, a ratio of 1:29/12 (approximately 1.682), or 900 cents. There is no standard just tuning
Just intonation

In music, just intonation is any musical tuning in which the frequency of notes are related by ratios of whole numbers. Any interval tuned in this way is called a just interval; in other words, the two notes are members of the same harmonic series ....
 of this interval, but one possibility, assuming the flat submediant is a perfect (5:4) major third below the octave, and the leading tone to be 15:16, would lead to an interval of 128:75, about 925 cents.

See also

  • 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 ....