Diminished seventh

chord

The diminished seventh chord is a

seventh chord composed of a root note,
together with a minor third, a diminished
fifth, and a diminished seventh above the
root: (1, ♭3, ♭5,  7). Since a diminished
seventh is enharmonically equivalent to a
major sixth, this is enharmonically
equivalent to (1, ♭3, ♭5, ♮6). For example,
the diminished seventh chord built on C,
commonly written as Co7, has pitches C–
E♭–G♭–B :

diminished seventh
Component intervals from root

diminished seventh

diminished fifth (tritone)

minor third

root

Tuning

125:150:180:216[1]

Forte no. / Complement

4–28 / 8–28
 0:02 / 0:02

As such, a diminished seventh chord

comprises a diminished triad plus a
diminished seventh. Because of this, it can
also be viewed as four notes all stacked in
intervals of a minor third and can be
represented by the integer notation
{0, 3, 6, 9}.

The diminished seventh chord occurs as a

leading-tone seventh chord in the
harmonic minor scale. It typically has
dominant function and contains two
diminished fifths, which often resolve
inwards.[2]
In most sheet music books, the notation
Cdim or Co denotes a diminished seventh
chord with root C; but it may also happen,
mostly in modern jazz books and some
music theory literature, that Cdim or Co
denotes a diminished triad (more
commonly denoted Cm♭5), while Cdim7 or
Co7 in these books denotes a diminished
seventh chord (corresponding to Cm6♭5).

François-Joseph Fétis tuned the chord

10:12:14:17.[3]

Analysis
Music theorists have struggled over the
centuries to explain the meaning and
function of diminished seventh chords.
Currently, two approaches are generally
used.

The less complex method treats the

leading tone as the root of the chord and
the other chord members as the third, fifth,
and seventh of the chord, the same way
other seventh chords are analyzed.

The other method is to analyze the chord

as an "incomplete dominant ninth", that is
a ninth chord with its root on the dominant,
whose root is missing or implied. A viio7
chord in the minor key (for example, in C
minor, B♮–D–F–A♭) occurs naturally in the
harmonic minor scale and is equivalent to
the dominant 7♭9 chord (G–B–D–F–A♭)
without its root.

This was already proposed by Arnold

Schoenberg,[4] and Walter Piston has long
been the champion of this analysis.[5] Jazz
guitarist Sal Salvador, and other jazz
theorists, also advocated this view,
rewriting chord charts to reflect this and
supplying the "missing" root as part of
their bass lines.[6] The dominant ninth
theory was questioned by Heinrich
Schenker. He explained that although
there is a kinship between all univalent
chords rising out of the fifth degree, the
dominant ninth chord is not a real chord
formation.[7]

Jean-Philippe Rameau explained the

diminished seventh chord as a dominant
seventh chord whose supposed
fundamental bass is borrowed from the
sixth degree in minor, raised a semitone
producing a stack of minor thirds.[8] Thus,
in C, the dominant seventh is G7 (G–B–D–
F) and the sixth degree borrowed from the
minor scale produces A♭–B–D–F.[8]
In his Treatise on Harmony, he observed
that three minor thirds and an augmented
second make up a chord where the
augmented second is such that "the ear is
not offended" by it. He may have been
talking of the augmented second in
quarter-comma meantone, a tuning he
favored, which is close to the just septimal
minor third of 7:6.

Function
Most common functions
Diminished seventh chord resolution: both diminished
fifths tend to resolve inward, doubling the third of the
tonic chord

The most common form of the diminished

seventh chord is that rooted on the leading
tone – for example, in the key of C, the
chord (B–D–F–A♭) – so its other
constituents are the , , and ♭ (flat
submediant) scale degrees. These notes
occur naturally in the harmonic minor
scale. But this chord also appears in major
keys, especially after the time of J.S. Bach,
where it is borrowed from the parallel
minor. Diminished seventh chords may
also be rooted on other scale degrees,
either as secondary function chords
temporarily borrowed from other keys, or
as appoggiatura chords: a chord rooted on
the raised second scale degree (D♯–F♯–
A–C in the key of C) acts as an
appoggiatura to the tonic (C major) chord,
and one rooted on the raised sixth scale
degree (A♯–C♯–E–G in C major) acts as
an appoggiatura to the dominant (G major)
chord. Because these chords have no
leading tone in relation to the chords to
which they resolve, they cannot properly
have dominant function. They are
therefore referred to commonly as non-
dominant diminished seventh chords or
common tone diminished seventh chords
(see below.)

The diminished seventh chord normally

possesses a dominant function, and this is
most straightforwardly shown when the
root of a dominant seventh chord is
omitted. The remaining third, fifth and
seventh of that chord form a diminished
triad (whose new root is the third of the
former chord), to which a diminished
seventh can be added. Thus, in C (major or
minor), a dominant seventh chord
consisting of G–B–D–F can be replaced
by a diminished seventh chord B–D–F–A♭.

In jazz harmony, a combination of the

original chord with its substitute (with G in
the bass and A♭ simultaneously in an
upper voice) yields the seven flat-9 chord,
which intensifies the dominant function of
either a diminished seventh or dominant
seventh chord. Other transformations of
this kind facilitate a variety of
substitutions and modulations: any of the
four notes in a diminished seventh chord
are raised by a semitone, that raised note
is then the flat-seventh of a half-
diminished seventh chord. Similarly, if any
of the four notes in the diminished seventh
chord are lowered by a semitone, that
lowered note is then the root of a
dominant seventh chord.

In jazz, the diminished seventh chord is

often based on the ♭ scale degree (the flat
mediant) and acts as a passing chord
between the mediant triad (or first-
inversion tonic triad) and the supertonic
triad: in C major, this would be the chord
progression E minor – E♭ diminished – D
minor. The chord, "plays no role in...
jazz."[9] The passing chord is used widely
in Brazilian music such as choro, samba
and bossa nova.

Other functions

This section needs additional citations for

verification. Learn more

A chord progression with a sharpened subdominant

with diminished seventh chord

Another common use of the chord is as a

sharpened subdominant with diminished
seventh chord. This is represented by the
Roman notation ♯ivo7, but in classical
music is more correctly represented as
viio7/V, being a very common way for a
composer to approach the dominant of
any key. In the key of C, this is F♯dim7. It is
also a common chord in jazz and ragtime
music. A common traditional jazz or
Dixieland progression is IV–♯ivo7–V7 (in C
major: F–F♯o7–G7). Another common
usage of ♯ivo7 is often found in Gospel
music and jazz progressions such as in
the song "I Got Rhythm":

In C: | C C/E | F F♯dim7 | C/G A7 | Dm7 G7

|
One variant of the supertonic seventh
chord is the supertonic diminished
seventh[10] with the raised supertonic,
which is enharmonically equivalence to the
lowered third through (in C: D♯ = E♭). It may
be used as a dominant substitute.[11]

According to Bruce Benward and Marilyn Saker, "The...

[♯iio and ♯vio ] chords are very common in 20th-
century 'barbershop' quartet music."[12] The music
6
shows the chord progression IV – vi6 – Ger+6 – I ♯vio5
4
– V3.
 4
Example (B♯o2) in the Waltz of the Flowers
(1892)[13][12]

A diminished seventh chord may function

as a common-tone diminished seventh
chord. In this role, a diminished seventh
chord resolves to a major or dominant
seventh chord whose root is one of the
notes of the diminished seventh chord
(common tone), the most common being
the raised supertonic seventh, which
resolves to the tonic in major keys (♯iio7–I,
shown below) and the raised submediant,
which resolves to dominant triad or
seventh in major keys (♯vio7–V, shown
right), with the altered tones resolving
upward by half step in both cases.[12]

The cto7 chord, whose function, "is simply

one of embellishment," most often spelled
♯iio7 when embellishing I or ♯vio7 when
embellishing V, is distinguished from the
viio7/V chord by common tone chords
resolving to I or I6 while viio7/V resolves to
6 [13]
V or I4. They may be confused, due to
enharmonic equivalency, but resolution is
a better indicator of function than spelling.
In C:

cto7/I = d♯o7 = D♯–F♯–A–C

viio7/V = f♯o7 = F♯–A–C–E♭ (= D♯)

The diminished chord may also resolve

through lowering two of the chord tones
producing a supertonic seventh chord (ii7)
that may lead to a conventional
cadence:[14]
Expressive potential
During the Baroque era (1600–1750),
European composers became aware of
the expressive potential of the diminished
seventh chord. In operas and other
dramatic works, the chord was frequently
used to heighten the sense of passion,
anger, danger or mystery. One famous
example can be found in J.S. Bach’s St.
Matthew Passion (1737), in which he sets
verses from the Gospel of Matthew,
Chapter 27, verses 20–21: "But the chief
priests and elders persuaded the multitude
that they should ask Barabbas, and
destroy Jesus. The governor [Pilate]
answered and said unto them, ‘Whether of
the twain will ye that I release unto you?’
They said, ‘Barabbas.’" Bach sets the text
so that the angry multitude’s harsh reply
on the word ‘Barabbas’ is a diminished
seventh chord (Listen ):

After Bach, diminished sevenths were to

feature regularly in music to evoke the
uncanny or sense of impending danger. A
powerful diminished seventh chord
heralds the resurrection of the murdered
Commendatore in the final scene of
Mozart's Don Giovanni (1787). The dead
man’s statue comes to life and takes the
Don down to Hell in one of the most
chilling episodes in the entire operatic
repertoire (Listen ):

In the early years of the 19th century,

composers used the diminished seventh
with increasing frequency. In "Die Stadt",
one of his darkest and most melancholy
songs from Schwanengesang (1828),
Franz Schubert conjures "the pianistic
elaboration of a diminished seventh over
an octave tremolo"[15] to convey the
sinister rippling of the oars as the
protagonist is rowed across a lake
towards the town where his lost beloved
once lived. According to Edward T. Cone,
"This famous arpeggiation seems to arise
from nowhere to create an atmospheric
prelude... and it dies away to nothing in a
postlude."[15] The song ends on the
diminished seventh chord; there is no
resolution, "the dissonance is terminal":[15]
The operas of Carl Maria von Weber,
particularly Der Freischutz and Euryanthe
featured many passages using this chord.
The Wolf’s Glen scene in Der Freischutz
(1821) is an example . According to his
early biographer, Alexander Wheelock
Thayer,[16] Ludwig van Beethoven spoke
disparagingly of the ‘accumulation of
diminished seventh chords’ in Euryanthe
(1823).
However, it should be pointed out that
Beethoven was himself rather fond of the
chord and was well aware of its dramatic
potential. Perhaps the clearest instance of
the diminished seventh’s power to evoke
mystery and terror can be found in the
passage linking the two final movements
of Beethoven’s Appassionata Sonata, Op.
57 (1806). The placid conclusion of the
andante movement is interrupted first by a
slowly rolled diminished seventh arpeggio
played pianissimo, followed by the same
chord played an octave above in a sharp,
stabbing fortissimo.
By the end of the 19th century, composers
had used the diminished seventh so much
that it became a cliché of musical
expression and consequently lost much its
power to shock and thrill. By the turn of the
20th century, many musicians were getting
weary of it. In his Harmonielehre (1911),[17]
Arnold Schoenberg wrote:

Whenever one wanted to

express pain, excitement, anger,
or some other strong feeling –
there we find, almost exclusively,
the diminished seventh chord.
So it is in the music of Bach,
Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven,
Weber, etc. Even in Wagner’s
early works it plays the same
role. But soon the role was
played out. This uncommon,
restless, undependable guest,
here today, gone tomorrow,
settled down, became a citizen,
was retired a philistine. The
chord had lost that appeal of
 novelty, hence, it had lost its
sharpness, but also its luster. It
had nothing more in say to a
new era. Thus, it fell from the
higher sphere of art music to the
lower of music for
entertainment. There it remains,
as a sentimental expression of
sentimental concerns. It became
banal and effeminate.

Symmetry
The same four pitch classes spelled as four different

diminished seventh chords: G♯dim7, Bdim7, Ddim7, and

Fdim7.

Because a diminished seventh chord is

composed of three stacked minor thirds, it
is symmetrical and its four inversions are
composed of the same pitch classes.
Understanding what inversion a given
diminished seventh chord is written in
(and thus finding its root) depends on its
enharmonic spelling. For example, G♯dim7
(G♯–B–D–F) is enharmonically equivalent
to three other inverted diminished chords
with roots on the other three pitches in the
chord:
1. Bdim7 (A♭–B–D–F)
2. Ddim7 (A♭–C♭–D–F)
3. Fdim7 (A♭–C♭–E –F)

Nineteenth-century composers in
particular often make use of this
enharmonic to use these chords for
modulations. Percy Goetschius calls it the
"enharmonic chord."[18]

Two diminished seventh chords in the octatonic scale

(one red one blue) may be rearranged as the alpha
(one red, one blue) may be rearranged as the alpha
chord

As a result of the symmetry of the chord, if

you ignore enharmonic spelling, there are
only three distinct diminished seventh
chords, the other nine being
enharmonically equivalent to those three.
Using Piston's incomplete-ninth analysis
discussed above, a single diminished
seventh chord, without enharmonic
change, is capable of the following
analyses: V, V/ii, V/III (in minor), V/iii (in
major), V/iv, V/V, V/VI (in minor), V/vi (in
major), V/VII (in minor). Since the chord
may be enharmonically written in four
different ways without changing the
sound, we may multiply the above by four,
making a total of forty-eight possible
interpretations.[19] More conservatively,
each assumed root may be used as a
dominant, tonic, or supertonic, giving
twelve possibilities.[20]

The octatonic scale (or diminished scale),

a symmetric scale, may be conceived of as
two interlocking diminished seventh
chords, which may be rearranged into the
alpha chord.

Diminished seventh chord

table
 Chord Root Minor third Diminished fifth Diminished seventh

Cdim7 C E♭ G♭ B (A)

C♯dim7 C♯ E G B♭

D♭dim7 D♭ F♭ (E) A (G) C (B♭)

Ddim7 D F A♭ C♭ (B)

D♯dim7 D♯ F♯ A C

E♭dim7 E♭ G♭ B (A) D (C)

Edim7 E G B♭ D♭

Fdim7 F A♭ C♭(B) E (D)

F♯dim7 F♯ A C E♭

G♭dim7 G♭ B (A) D (C) F (E♭)

Gdim7 G B♭ D♭ F♭ (E)

G♯dim7 G♯ B D F

A♭dim7 A♭ C♭ (B) E (D) G (F)

Adim7 A C E♭ G♭

A♯dim7 A♯ C♯ E G

B♭dim7 B♭ D♭ F♭ (E) A (G)

Bdim7 B D F A♭

See also
Enharmonic scale
Irregular resolution
Half diminished chord
 Subtonic

References
1. Shirlaw, Matthew (1900). The Theory of
Harmony, p.86. ISBN 978-1-4510-1534-8.
"G♯–B–D–F."
2. Benward & Saker (2003). Music: In
Theory and Practice, Vol. I, p.219. Seventh
Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-294262-0.
3. Fétis, François-Joseph and Arlin, Mary I.
(1994). Esquisse de l'histoire de l'harmonie,
p.139n9. ISBN 978-0-945193-51-7.
4. Schoenberg, Arnold: "Harmonielehre",
chapter IX, Wien, Universal Edition, 1911
5. Piston, Walter: "Harmony", pg. 191, Third
Edition, W. W. Norton & Company, 1962
6. Sal Salvador: "Chordal Enrichment &
Chord Substitution: Jazz Guitar", Mel Bay,
ISBN 0871665271
7. Schenker, Heinrich; ed. and annot.
Oswald Jonas (1954). Harmony. Translated
by Elisabeth Mann-Borgese. Chicago:
University of Chicago Press. p. 192.
OCLC 280916 .
8. Christensen, Thomas Street (2004).
Rameau and Musical Thought in the
Enlightenment, p.100. ISBN 978-0-521-
61709-3.
9. Tenzer, Michael and Roeder, John (2011).
Analytical and Cross-Cultural Studies in
World Music, p.157n10. ISBN 978-0-19-
538458-1.
10. Kitson, C. H. (2006). Elementary
Harmony, p.43. ISBN 1-4067-9372-8.
11. Coker, Jerry (1997). Elements of the
Jazz Language for the Developing
Improvisor, p.82. ISBN 1-57623-875-X.
12. Benward, Bruce & Saker, Marilyn (2009).
Music: In Theory and Practice, Vol. II, p.220-
2. Eighth Edition. ISBN 978-0-07-310188-0.
13. Kostka, Stefan and Payne, Dorothy
(1995). Tonal Harmony, p.435. Third
edition. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-300056-6
"The cto chords...embellish [the]
domminant chord. While the cto chords are
clearly ornamental, their flavor is crucial to
this passage and to the waltz that follows."
14. Alchin, Carrie Adelaide (1917). Applied
Harmony , p.99. Los Angeles: C. A. Alchin.
[ISBN unspecified] [1] .
15. Cone, E.T. (2009, p. 109) Hearing and
Knowing Music. Princeton University Press
16. Thayer, A. W. (1921) Life of Beethoven.
Princeton: Princeton University Press
(1879),
17. Schoenberg, A. (1911) Harmonielehre,
Wien, Universal Edition.,
18. Goetschius, Percy: "The Material Used
in Musical Composition – A System of
Harmony", pg. 159, G. Shirmer, Inc., 1913
19. Piston, Walter: "Harmony", pg. 201,
Third Edition, W. W. Norton & Company,
1962
20. Adela Harriet Sophia Bagot Wodehouse
(1890). A Dictionary of Music and
Musicians: (A.D. 1450–1889), p.448.
Macmillan and Co., Ltd.

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